A 27-year-old Colombian man, believed to have acted on behalf of Russian intelligence, has been accused of carrying out two arson attacks in Poland last year, according to Polish officials. The incidents occurred on 23 May 2024 in Warsaw and a week later, on 30 May, in Radom.

The spokesperson for the head of Poland’s special services, Jacek Dobrzyński, revealed on X that the Internal Security Agency’s (ABW) branch in Radom is overseeing the investigation. The case concerns the deliberate burning of two construction depots in the Mazovian region.

The ABW confirmed that the suspect has been charged with espionage and terrorism-related offences against the Republic of Poland.

According to an ABW statement, the man was given precise instructions from his handler, including targets, methods of attack, the construction of a Molotov cocktail, and the choice of transport.

Authorities noted that this method closely mirrors similar attacks seen across Central and Eastern Europe.

The ABW disclosed that Russian intelligence operatives had been systematically using Telegram to recruit individuals from Latin America—often with military backgrounds—to carry out reconnaissance and arson attacks on selected sites. These operatives were instructed to film the destruction, with the footage later disseminated through Russian-language media for disinformation and propaganda purposes.

Russian operatives reportedly targeted visa-free entrants to EU countries, luring them with promises of quick and easy money.

The suspect, the ABW added, had previously been sentenced to eight years in prison by a Czech court in June 2025 for setting fire to a bus depot in Prague and plotting to ignite a shopping centre. He confessed to the crimes. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala confirmed the involvement of Russian intelligence in the case.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Dobrzyński stated that the Colombian national entered the EU legally via Madrid before travelling on to Poland, taking advantage of relaxed border regulations.

He was trained and instructed by an individual linked to the Russian military and intelligence services, Dobrzyński added. 

“They taught him how to prepare incendiary devices, Molotov cocktails, and how to document the attacks,” he said.

The first arson attack took place on 23 May 2024 in Warsaw. “A construction warehouse was set on fire,” Dobrzyński explained. 

“Fortunately, the fire was quickly contained by the fire brigade and didn’t pose a serious threat.”

A week later, the man struck again—this time in Radom. He once more recorded the incident and sent the footage to Russian media outlets, which then distorted the context. Instead of reporting the fire as an attack on a building supplies warehouse, Russian outlets falsely claimed that a logistics centre storing military aid destined for Ukraine had been targeted.

Dobrzyński underscored the importance of international cooperation in the case, noting that intelligence and justice services from Poland, Lithuania, Romania, and the Czech Republic had all contributed. After leaving Poland, the suspect travelled to the Czech Republic, where he carried out the arson in Prague and was preparing for another attack when Czech authorities apprehended him.

Source: PAP

Photo: @lukOlejnik

Tomasz Modrzejewski