Polish authorities arrested Mateusz W., a 19-year-old university student, who was suspected of planning an attack on a Christmas market in the country in November, authorities announced on Tuesday.
The Catholic University of Lublin student had allegedly sought contact with the Islamic State terror group, Polish police said.
A spokesman for Polish special services, Jacek Dobrzynski, said the suspect wanted to use explosives in an attack on the market, in hopes of causing a mass casualty event.
"The man was very fascinated by Islam, sought to establish contacts with the Islamic State, and was preparing an attack in Poland, in one of the cities during a Christmas market," Dobrzynski wrote in an X/Twitter post.
Dobrzynski claimed Mateusz W. had been learning methods to independently produce materials for use in the attack.
“The purpose of the crime was to intimidate many people, as well as to support the Islamic State,” he wrote.
While searching the suspect’s effects, officers seized data storage devices and items related to Islam. By court decision, the man will spend the next three months in custody.
Islamic State targets West in holiday season attacks
The announcement comes days after a terror attack in Sydney, Australia, which took the lives of 15 Jews celebrating Hanukkah. The shooters were allegedly inspired by ISIS ideology.
Christmas markets have also recently been targeted by the Islamic State in Europe. German authorities announced on Saturday that they had arrested five people on suspicion of planning an attack on a Christmas market.
Earlier this month, police also announced they arrested an Iraqi national on suspicion of planning an attack on a Christmas market.