Ukrainian student in Poland arrested over alleged plan to kill under "Bloody Friday" challenge
A 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen, identified as Yaroslav F., has been arrested in Poland on suspicion of preparing a racially motivated killing inspired by an online challenge called "Bloody Friday." The District Court of Lublin-West remanded him in custody for three months; he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The case emerged after staff and students at the Catholic University of Lublin reported his extremist statements, and comes amid a wave of knife attacks at Polish schools.
Key points
- Suspect identified as Yaroslav F., a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen and criminology student at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL).
- He is charged with preparing a killing on motives of racial hatred and with motives deserving particular condemnation, tied to the "Bloody Friday" online challenge.
- Investigators say he carried one knife and kept two throwing knives at his residence; seized electronics included two phones and a laptop, with searches on those devices for violent and torture-related material.
- He was detained while working as a taxi driver; the District Court of Lublin-West remanded him in custody for three months, with a potential sentence of up to 15 years.
- The case was reported to prosecutors by KUL leadership after a university employee relayed alarming statements from female seminary students; the rector consented to police entry into a dormitory room.
- The arrest follows a series of school knife attacks in Poland, including a 10 October attack in Warsaw that injured three girls and an earlier Ostrołęka attack that injured nine people.
Why it matters
The case puts a spotlight on alleged online radicalization through the "Bloody Friday" challenge on the Telegram messaging app, with Polish investigators saying the suspect was inspired by viewing violent materials there. It also forms part of a wider pattern of knife incidents at Polish educational institutions, which has already led police to redeploy patrols to schools. Because the suspect is a Ukrainian citizen studying abroad, the case is likely to draw attention in Ukraine as well as in Poland.
What happened
Polish prosecutors say Yaroslav F., a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen and criminology student at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), was preparing to kill a random person out of racial hatred and a desire to take part in the internet challenge called "Bloody Friday." According to the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, during classes the man praised crimes including racially motivated ones and expressed intent to carry out such killings. Investigators established that he possessed three knives — one he carried with him and two throwing knives kept at his residence — and that preliminary analysis of his two phones and a laptop showed searches for materials related to torture and inflicting pain. The prosecutor's office said he was inspired by viewing violent materials on the Telegram app.
The information reached prosecutors from KUL's leadership after a university employee reported alarming signals from female seminary students about his aggressive and extremist statements. After police asked for permission, the rector consented to entry into a student's dormitory room. Yaroslav F. was detained while driving a taxi as part of his work. He has been charged with preparation for murder with motives deserving particular condemnation and with motives of hatred based on racial differences, and has not admitted guilt. The District Court of Lublin-West granted the prosecutor's request and remanded him in custody for three months; the offense carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years' imprisonment.
Background
The case was reported publicly on Monday by Marcin Kozak, spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office in Lublin, as cited by Yevropeiska pravda referring to Polsat News. It came amid a string of knife incidents at Polish schools: on 10 October, a 21-year-old girl attacked three girls with a knife at an adult school complex in Warsaw, injuring two minors and an older girl, and an earlier attack at Vocational Schools Complex No. 4 in Ostrołęka injured nine people, with a 37-year-old woman dying despite resuscitation attempts. Following these incidents in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and elsewhere, Polish police decided to return patrols to educational institutions across the country.