Former ABW officer: Poland threatened by lone-wolf terrorism
Lieutenant Colonel Marek Świerczek, a former officer of the Internal Security Agency, warns of an increase in terrorism carried out by individual perpetrators. According to the expert, the derailment of railway tracks near Garwolin could have been a counterintelligence diversion operation.
Expanded terrorism threat in Poland
According to rp.pl, Poland faces a terrorism threat described as the "fifth wave" — activities by individual persons without an established ideological aim. Lieutenant Colonel Marek Świerczek, a former officer of the Internal Security Agency, points out that this situation may be new in Polish security reality.
The derailment of a section of railway tracks on the Warsaw–Lublin route near Garwolin in November 2025 illustrates a new modus operandi. The perpetrators left a mobile phone at the crime scene, which suggests a possible intention to draw the attention of counterintelligence. Świerczek suggests that a moment is approaching when similar incidents may be used as diversionary operations to distract from initiatives significant from the perspective of Russian intelligence.
The former officer cites a historical lesson from Soviet intelligence tradition: operations were carried out both by agents working without diplomatic cover and by special services officers working in diplomatic missions. Most significant operations in recent years have been undertaken through the first channel — owing to the constant surveillance of diplomatic missions by Polish services.
Świerczek warns against underestimating the threat generated by dispersed, independent activities. This type of terrorism is more difficult to predict and detect early than operations of traditional intelligence structures.
Source: Onet