Crime · updated 42m ago · 2 min read
Poland Detains Ukrainian After Knife Attack at Jaroslaw Abbey Kills Priest, Wounds Four
A 31-year-old Ukrainian stabbed five at the Benedictine abbey in Jarosław, killing a priest. Polish police detained the suspect at the abbey, arresting him on-site.
Whether the attack is framed as possible terrorism.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: a mayor declared a mourning period until end of week.
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Same story, two versions
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Hungarian Conservative
“Prosecutors, however, have not classified the attack as terrorism and have disclosed no evidence of an ideological or religious motive.”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera
“The motive remains unclear, and doctors will assess whether he was under the influence of alcohol, Harasz-Wołoszyn said.”Read the original ↗
Hungarian Conservative foregrounds a terrorism angle, while Al Jazeera sticks to unclear motives and alcohol/drug assessment.
Abbey stabbing in Jarosław
A 31-year-old Ukrainian man went on a stabbing spree at the 17th-century Benedictine abbey in Jaroslaw, some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine, and killed one person while wounding four others on Thursday morning. Prosecutor Bozena Harasz-Wołoszyn said, "Three of the victims are clergy members and two are laypeople; one person has died," and she added that two others were in "critical, life-threatening condition". Police said the attacker entered Poland from Germany earlier in the day, grabbed a knife from the abbey’s kitchen, and attacked four men and one woman, including a priest in a confessional.
Police also said they received a report at 9:30 a.m. local time that a Ukrainian national had attacked men with a knife on the grounds of Jaroslaw Abbey on Benedyktynska Street in Jaroslaw. Sister Barbara Dendor told state broadcaster TVP Info, "When I arrived, there was total panic," as she described the aftermath at the monastery grounds.
Leaders condemn, investigation begins
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the "murderer" would be "punished with the full severity of Polish law" after the attack at the Catholic monastery in southern Poland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack a "horrific crime" and said, "The perpetrator of this evil must bear full responsibility in accordance with the law … We are shaken by this evil. Justice must be done."
Jaroslaw mayor Marcin Nazarewicz declared a period of mourning until the end of the week following the stabbing at the abbey grounds.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said the attack "has shaken us all and demands a firm response from the state," while Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said psychological support was being provided to those affected.
Prosecutors said the motive remained unclear and doctors would assess whether the attacker was under the influence of alcohol, Harasz-Wołoszyn said.
Custody, motive, and next steps
Police arrested the 31-year-old attacker at the scene and prosecutors said he was headed for a nearby border crossing back into Ukraine but instead went to the abbey. AFP reported that police and prosecutors were working to clarify the circumstances of the incident, and it said police confirmed one victim had died while neither police nor prosecutors confirmed the victim's identity to AFP. EWTN News said police received a report at 9:30 a.m. local time that a Ukrainian man stabbed four men and one woman, and it said three of the men had serious injuries.
The investigation continued as police and prosecutors worked inside the abbey precinct, where evidence was being collected and witnesses heard, while authorities said the motive was not publicly established. Reuters said police were on the scene investigating the incident and that the motives behind the attack were not immediately clear.