First Arrests Made in Polish Railway Sabotage Investigation

Polish authorities have made their first arrests in connection with recent acts of sabotage on the nation's railway network. The Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the police have detained several individuals, with officials indicating that more arrests are expected.

Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the minister coordinating special services, confirmed that a significant amount of evidence has been secured. He emphasized that on Wednesday, Polish services had gathered much more information and were actively tracking both the perpetrators and those who commissioned the attacks.

Suspects Detained and Interrogated

"I can confirm that the first arrests are now taking place. Individuals involved in this are being detained by the ABW and the police, and I cannot provide more details at this stage," said Dobrzyński.

He described the situation as dynamic and evolving, with ongoing operations. While declining to give a specific number, Dobrzyński stated that "several people" have been detained in Poland.

"These individuals are currently being interrogated to determine their respective roles in this terrorist act," he informed reporters. "The arrests are ongoing, and we do not rule out further detentions."

Prime Minister Links Sabotage to Russia

During a speech in the Sejm on Tuesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that two recent incidents on Polish rail infrastructure were "deliberate acts of a diversionary nature." According to intelligence findings, the perpetrators were allegedly Ukrainian citizens collaborating with Russian special services.

"In both cases, we are certain that the attempt to blow up the tracks and damage the infrastructure was intentional, with the aim of causing a railway disaster," Tusk stated.

The Prime Minister revealed that one of the suspects had a prior conviction for sabotage activities in Lviv, while the other, from the Donbas region, entered Poland via Belarus. Both individuals reportedly left the country through the Terespol border crossing.

The sabotage incidents occurred between November 15 and 17 on the Warsaw-Dorohusk line. In the first attack, an explosive charge destroyed a section of track in the village of Mika. In a separate incident near Gołąb station, a train carrying 475 passengers was forced to make an emergency stop due to a damaged railway line.

Special Investigative Team Formed

Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek announced the formation of a special investigative team to probe the acts of sabotage. The team includes officers from the Internal Security Agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police (CBŚP).

Żurek explained that the team's objective is not only to establish the precise circumstances of the attacks but also to bring the perpetrators to justice in Poland.

Can Railway Tracks Be Secured?

Adrian Furgalski of the TOR Economic Advisors Group told Business Insider Polska that there is no "miracle cure" for preventing sabotage, but he offered some recommendations for the government.

He noted that while security measures like fences are sometimes installed along tracks, they are primarily intended to keep animals or trespassers away and would not pose a significant obstacle to a determined saboteur.

Poland has a dedicated Railway Protection Guard (SOK), but Furgalski pointed out that the service is underfunded, with only about 2,900 officers. Furthermore, the SOK reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure, not the Ministry of Interior and Administration. Discussions about changing this structure have been ongoing for years without resulting in significant reform.

Furgalski mentioned that various advanced systems are being tested globally to protect tracks from sabotage. These include fiber-optic cables laid along railway lines that can detect unusual vibrations and, using AI tools, alert authorities to potential threats.