Nearly 24 hours after the intervention at the apartment of Tomasz Sakiewicz in Warsaw, the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters issued a statement claiming that it had apprehended a person suspected of making a false report. According to our information, the detention took place in a county near Warsaw.
For several days, attacks against journalists of TV Republika have been ongoing. They involve police interventions concerning reports of possible suicides, deceased persons, or planted explosive materials. On Friday, police entered the home of Tomasz Sakiewicz (where the editorial office is also located) and handcuffed his assistant. Editor Sakiewicz indicated that this had already been another intervention at that address connected with a false alarm, and that the intervening officers had neither name tags nor identification numbers on their uniforms. Moreover, they refused to identify themselves and behaved aggressively.
The matter resonated very loudly on social media and triggered reactions from some journalists and politicians.
Nearly 24 hours after the operation at the apartment of Tomasz Sakiewicz, the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquartersissued a statement that it had “simultaneously undertaken actions aimed at establishing the identity and detaining the person or persons responsible for distributing false messages.”
In cooperation with the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime, Warsaw police officers identified and detained “late yesterday evening” a 53-year-old man who may be connected to the false alarms.
“At the residence of the detained individual, various types of computer equipment were secured, which will be subjected to detailed examination by experts,” the statement said.
Police informed that they are in contact with telecommunication service providers and the prosecutor’s office.