The boy allegedly had contacts with people from the Islamic State and planned an attack in Bolesławiec. The targets were to be Polish and American soldiers. The Internal Security Agency had known about him for some time.
The boy allegedly contacted terrorists through the online game Counter-Strike, in which a player can take on the role of a counter-terrorist or a terrorist. Such games are called shooters. The rules of the game involve players connecting with one another over the internet to kill opponents together in the game. At the start, each player has a pistol, two magazines, a knife and $800. For each successful mission (killing opponents), the team receives points and money. These are used to purchase firearms, a bulletproof vest, grenades, magazines and other items needed to complete missions in the game.
The boy played the game without any supervision from adult guardians. This was how suspicious individuals contacted him. The counter-terrorism services noticed the activity of the Bolesławiec County resident.
The Internal Security Agency visited the boy at his home twice. The first time, it was a preventive measure. The boy was informed of the seriousness of the situation. His parents were required to supervise him.
“The first time, the boy was hostile toward the services,” said a person familiar with the case. “He did not want to hand over his phone. There were proceedings in the Family Court concerning the exercise of care over the child. The parents were supposed to place their son under special supervision. It ended with the boy still being allowed to use the internet freely. At school, he was also spoken to. The boy admitted then that he had changed his beliefs and wanted to convert to Islam.”
To his parents’ surprise, in autumn 2024 the Internal Security Agency came to their home again, but this time they arrested the boy. The act was considered so serious that the young man was placed in a juvenile correctional facility for the duration of the proceedings.
“While confined in the facility, he began to change his attitude and now no longer wants to change his religion. His mother admitted that she had downplayed the matter the first time. Now that the most severe preventive measure has been applied to the boy—equivalent to temporary detention in criminal proceedings—this is no longer a game. Measures applied in juvenile proceedings do not end when a person turns 18. If measures of a corrective nature are applied to a minor, such as a correctional facility in this case, they remain in force until the age of 21,” the informed person explained.
When we were the first to report on this case in November 2024, the Internal Security Agency gave evasive replies to our questions. The Press Team of the Internal Security Agency stated at the time that the Agency had not carried out the activities we had asked about. And yet the case existed.
On the one hand, it is good that the boy, who had contacts with the Islamic State and was evidently strongly indoctrinated, is now under state supervision rather than that of irresponsible parents. On the other hand, the lenient approach toward a minor who enthusiastically kills people in a game, is susceptible to influence, does not hold pacifist views and lives in a county where American soldiers are stationed may be concerning.