Two men have been arrested in Poland for publicly endorsing the actions of the perpetrator of the incident in Krakow and threatening to repeat the act, RMF24 reports.
One of them, a 68-year-old resident of Elbląg, will face charges after causing a scandal at the city hall, frightening employees, and declaring that he would organize a similar incident in his town. The second arrested individual, a 40-year-old resident of Ilava, had approved of what happened in a social media post.
Both men were arrested on November 10, following public outcry after the tragic event that occurred on November 7 at Krakow's Main Square, which resulted in six deaths and 15 injuries. Authorities have also expressed concern about potential sabotage manifestations.
According to the police, the 68-year-old man provoked a dispute at the secretary's office of Elbląg city hall and behaved aggressively towards the employees. At the same time, he justified the actions of the 24-year-old offender from Krakow and stated that he would do the same in Elbląg, causing serious safety concerns among the administration staff.
The police arrested the man at his place of residence and transferred him to a detention facility. Charges will be brought against him soon.
In Ilava, the police received a report that one of the local residents had posted about illegal activities on social media, simultaneously justifying the Krakow incident. Law enforcement identified the account owner and his location, after which they arrested the 40-year-old man.
The detainee stated that he had made the post while intoxicated. He could not explain the reason behind his action, and after sobering up, he deleted the post.
During a search of his apartment, the police found nothing suspicious. Nevertheless, the prosecutor decided to impose police supervision over the man.
According to Polish criminal law, publicly endorsing a crime carries penalties including fines, restriction of liberty, or imprisonment for up to one year. Making an obviously false report about a public threat is punishable by six months to eight years of imprisonment, and making statements that cause justifiable fear to another person carries a penalty of up to three years imprisonment.
