Lone attacker in Kraków – GROM expert: security services had no chance
Paweł Mateńczuk, a veteran of the GROM unit, believes that security services had no realistic opportunity to prevent the attack at the Main Market Square in Kraków. He emphasises that a lone perpetrator is practically impossible to detect in a democratic system.
Why security services could not prevent the attack
Paweł "Naval" Mateńczuk, a veteran of the GROM unit, has stated in Polsat News that special services bear no responsibility for the attack on the Main Market Square in Kraków. He emphasised that a lone perpetrator, acting without sharing their plans with others, is practically impossible to detect.
On Saturday, an attack took place at the Main Market Square in Kraków, in which six people were killed and around a dozen wounded. The perpetrator was identified as 24-year-old Michał Oksiński from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Following police entry to the house where the man lived, the bodies of his parents and sister were found. According to a statement from the Małopolska police, the 24-year-old died in hospital.
Democratic limitations in prevention
The expert drew attention to the fact that a democratic system, in which citizens are protected from surveillance, creates a natural barrier for security services. Mateńczuk explained that if a lone perpetrator does not share their ideas on social media or with their immediate circle, it is difficult for services to determine the degree of their radicalisation and the threat they pose.
According to the GROM veteran, detecting a threat effectively requires a certain number of people to be privy to the plan. When several people are planning an operation, a moment of reflection on the consequences arises, and there is also the risk that someone will betray the intention. Many operations have been thwarted at the planning stage, when participants have backed out or signalled the danger to the authorities.
Prosperity as context
Mateńczuk noted that the attack may be partly a consequence of the prosperity that Polish society has experienced. He emphasised that Poland joined the European Union and became a strong part of the West, but alongside economic development, security challenges have also emerged that are well known in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and London.
In his view, prosperity means that young people do not have to work as intensively to achieve material goods. In the past, to have additional income, one had to seek seasonal work. Today, parents can provide their children with most of their needs, which reduces motivation to make an effort.
The expert noted that two decades ago, young people had to work harder and had numerous activities that kept them on the "right path". Today, he claims, prosperity is accompanied by a lack of sense of the value of shared achievement, which leads to rebellion against the social and political order.
Conclusions regarding lone perpetrators
Mateńczuk emphasised that planning activities by a single person makes them practically impossible to catch. Reflection on possible consequences typically occurs during conversations with others – when a person acts alone, this mechanism of natural resistance is absent.
In conclusion, the GROM veteran stated that in the case of a lone perpetrator, detection and prevention is "mega difficult to accomplish". Therefore, security services should not be blamed for what happened in Kraków – they are powerless to catch someone who acts in complete isolation.
Source: Google News PL