Third person charged over rail sabotage in Poland
Polish prosecutors have brought charges against a third suspect, Volodymyr B., in connection with recent sabotage attacks on a railway line in eastern Poland, the spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office has announced.
The case already includes charges against two Ukrainian nationals, identified as Oleksandr K. and Yevheri I., following two incidents along the railway line connecting Warsaw with the Dorohusk station on the border with Ukraine around November 15-16. An explosive device damaged the tracks in one attack and, in another, infrastructure damage forced a train carrying 475 passengers to make an abrupt emergency stop.
All three suspects face allegations of carrying out acts of sabotage of a terrorist nature on behalf of Russian intelligence services against the Republic of Poland. They are also accused of creating a threat of a major railway disaster and of using explosives — offences that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
On Monday, Przemyslaw Nowak said that evidence suggests that Volodymyr B. assisted the two perpetrators by helping them conduct reconnaissance and prepare for the attacks. A court has ordered him to be held in pre-trial detention for three months.
Addressing the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, on Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk referred to the railway incidents, saying that the surge in sabotage operations in Poland has reached a level that can be described as state terrorism. He also accused Russia of orchestrating the attacks. (PAP)
mj/jch
