Poland charges group with sabotage on behalf of foreign intelligence
WARSAW - Polish prosecutors have charged a group of six people with offences including sabotage commissioned by foreign intelligence services, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Poland says its role as a hub for aid to Ukraine has made it a target for Russian and Belarusian secret services, accusing Moscow and Minsk of commissioning acts of sabotage such as arson on Polish soil.
Russia and Belarus have rejected such allegations.
The prosecutors' office said the trigger for the investigation came from information uncovered during a probe into the activities of Ukrainian citizen Serhii S, who was jailed earlier this year for planning sabotage on behalf of Russia.
"The evidence obtained in this case indicated a suspicion that an organised criminal group operating in Poland engaged in recruitment and organisation of sabotage activities for foreign intelligence agencies," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"The actions of foreign intelligence agencies were aimed at generating public unrest and creating a sense of helplessness among state authorities through sabotage and subversion."
Prosecutors said that there were three Polish defendents (Kamil K, Dawid P and Lukasz K) and three Belarusians (Stepan K, Andrei B, Yaraslau S). Polish privacy laws prevent media from publishing the surnames of people charged with crimes.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Business Singapore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead: Analysts
Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction
Singapore HSA seeks Kpod investigators to arrest abusers, conduct anti-trafficking ops
Asia Malaysia's anti-graft agency busts arms smuggling ring masterminded by senior military officers
Asia Mixed reactions among Malaysia drivers on S'pore move to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services
Singapore 4 taken to hospital after accident near Sports Hub, including 2 rescued with hydraulic tools
Business Singapore life insurance sales surges in first half, led by boost in investment-linked plans
Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story
The indictment relates, among other things, to an arson attack allegedly commissioned by a foreign intelligence agency on a pallet storage facility in Marki, central Poland, in April 2024, prosecutors said.
It also relates to attempted arson at a warehouse in Gdansk in March 2024, which was allegedly commissioned by foreign intelligence, and arson attacks on a restaurant in Gdynia in 2023.
Four of the defendants were charged with acts of sabotage commissioned by foreign intelligence. The group also faced other charges related to arms trafficking, drug trafficking, and other criminal offences.
Stepan K and Dawid P pleaded not guilty, the statement said. Andrei B, Yaraslau S and Lukasz K partially pleaded guily, while Kamil K admitted to all the charges against him. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Washington DC Attorney-General sues to stop federal takeover of police department
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump said on Aug 11 that he was deploying National Guard troops to Washington and taking over the city's police department temporarily. WASHINGTON - Washington, DC Attorney-General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit on Aug 15 challenging US President Donald Trump's attempt to take control of the district's police department, in a move likely to escalate the tensions between the city's leadership and the Trump administration. Mr Schwalb said the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, aims to get the court to rule that Mr Trump's takeover of the city's police department is illegal. It came just hours after US Attorney-General Pam Bondi issued an order transferring control of the police department from the city to the Drug Enforcement Administration's leader Terry Cole, whom Ms Bondi tapped to serve as the Metropolitan Police Department's Emergency Commissioner. Mr Trump said on Aug 11 that he was deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department to curb what he has depicted as a crime emergency in the US capital, though statistics show incidents of violent crime have dropped. As part of that action, federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Patrol have deployed agents to patrol the streets and carry out arrests. Ms Bondi's order, issued late on Aug 14, said the city must receive approval from Mr Cole before it can issue any directives to the Washington police force. It also sought to rescind several of the police department's prior directives, including one that addressed its level of involvement with federal immigration enforcement. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he was fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore Man on death row granted clemency in rare move to 'reduce disparity' between outcomes Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Singapore Over 600 orchids on display at Gardens by the Bay to mark 60 years of Singapore-Malaysia ties Singapore Father of 4 among S'poreans arrested in CNB raids; drugs worth over $128k seized A Justice Department spokesperson did not have any immediate comment on the lawsuit's claims, which called Ms Bondi's actions a 'brazen usurpation of the District's authority over its own government'. REUTERS
Straits Times
21 minutes ago
- Straits Times
ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he was fined for abetting obstruction of justice
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE - Billionaire Ong Beng Seng's permanent residence (PR) status in Singapore will be reviewed after he was convicted and sentenced for abetting obstruction of justice. In response to queries from The Straits Times, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) spokesperson said on Aug 15 that it will review the PR status of Singapore permanent residents who have been convicted of an offence. 'ICA will review Mr Ong Beng Seng's PR since he has been convicted and sentenced,' added the spokesperson. Ong, who is a Malaysian Citizen, was fined $30,000 on Aug 15 after he had pleaded guilty earlier to one charge of abetting the obstruction of justice in a case linked to former transport minister S. Iswaran. The judge agreed with the prosecution and defence that judicial mercy should be exercised in this case due to Ong's ill health. Ong was born in Malaysia in 1946 and came to Singapore at the age of four. He went on to work in international insurance underwriting and broking in Europe, London and South-east Asia before joining Motor & General Underwriters Investment Holdings in the late 1960s. Ong married Ms Christina Fu, herself a prominent businesswoman, in 1972. In 1975, he joined Kuo International, an oil trading company owned by his father-in-law Peter Fu. There, he made millions, accurately predicting the ups and downs of oil prices. The capital earned during this time is said to have helped finance his later investments and property developments. Ong set up Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) in 1980 and went on to acquire a number of hotels around the world, and properties in prime locations such as Orchard Road. On April 14 in an exchange filing, HPL said that Ong will step down as its managing directo r at the close of the company's annual general meeting on April 29, with the tycoon indicating he wanted to devote more time to managing his medical conditions.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump says semiconductor tariffs coming soon, could reach 300%
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump said he would set levies on semiconductors in the coming two weeks. US President Donald Trump said he would set levies on semiconductors in the coming two weeks, the latest indication he is readying a substantial expansion of his tariff regime. 'I'll be setting tariffs next week and the week after, on steel and on, I would, say chips – chips and semiconductors, we'll be setting sometime next week, week after,' Mr Trump told reporters on Aug 15 aboard Air Force One en route to Alaska for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It w as not clear if Mr Trump misspoke about steel tariffs. He already hiked duties on steel and a luminium imports to 50 per cent in June. The president has repeatedly promised that levies on chips and pharmaceuticals are coming within weeks, but no formal announcements have yet been made. Both sectors have been under Commerce Department investigation since April, a prerequisite for Mr Trump to impose tariffs on national security grounds. That process can prove complicated and probes can take months or longer to resolve. Manufacturers and artificial intelligence firms have been eager for more clarity about his plans for semiconductor rates, since chips are included in a wide range of modern consumer products. Last week, Mr Trump said during an event with Apple c hief executive officer Tim Cook that he planned a 100 per cent tariff on semiconductors, while exempting products from companies that are moving manufacturing to the US. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Singapore Love that saves lives: Seniors in Singapore overcome challenges to donate organs Singapore Over 600 orchids on display at Gardens by the Bay to mark 60 years of Singapore-Malaysia ties Singapore Father of 4 among S'poreans arrested in CNB raids; drugs worth over $128k seized The White House has not offered a subsequent explanation for how that exemption would work, but Mr Trump implied that Apple – which has pledged a US$600 billion (S$769 billion) domestic manufacturing initiative – could be exempt. On A ug 15, Mr Trump suggested the charge on imported semiconductors could be even higher. 'I'm going to have a rate that is going to be 200 per cent, 300 per cent?' Mr Trump said. The US president indicated that he could speak about tariffs with Mr Putin, and said he believed the Russian leader planned to bring business leaders to the summit. 'I noticed he's bringing a lot of business people from Russia, and that's good I like that because they want to do business,' Mr Trump said. 'But they're not doing business until we get the war settled.' Mr Trump in recent weeks has threatened to impose higher tariff rates on purchasers of Russian energy, including a pledge to impose a 50 per cent levy on goods from India. He has also suggested he could ratchet up economic costs on Moscow if the meeting does not go well. BLOOMBERG
