Poland Arrests Lebanese Man Suspected of Planning 'Terrorist Attacks' in Europe

Poland arrests a Lebanese man suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Europe. (AFP)
Poland arrests a Lebanese man suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Europe. (AFP)
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Poland Arrests Lebanese Man Suspected of Planning 'Terrorist Attacks' in Europe

Poland arrests a Lebanese man suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Europe. (AFP)
Poland arrests a Lebanese man suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Europe. (AFP)

A Lebanese man was arrested in Poland on Monday on suspicion of planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Western Europe and of having ties with ISIS, Poland's special services said.

Stanislaw Zaryn, spokesman for Poland's special services said the man, whose identity was not made public, was detained on April 16 after being deemed "a real threat to Polish internal security and to our country's citizens.”

The suspect "was planning to set up a network in Poland and elsewhere in the EU that would carry out terror attacks in Western European countries," Zaryn said in a statement published by Agence France Press.

He had "family ties to terrorists belonging to ISIS who died in battle against the coalition forces in Syria and Iraq", the statement added.

The man had apparently been in frequent touch via the internet with ISIS and other individuals linked to the group in EU member countries while he was staying in Poland.

The individual, who is now in a detention center for foreigners in eastern Poland, is also alleged to have provided financial support to ISIS members in Syria.

The Polish statement did not identify the name of the man.



Pope Marks 12th Anniversary of Papacy Hospitalized but with Condition Improving

(FILES) Pope Francis is silhouetted against window light during a private audience with Malta's President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the Vatican on September 29, 2014. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / POOL / AFP)
(FILES) Pope Francis is silhouetted against window light during a private audience with Malta's President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the Vatican on September 29, 2014. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / POOL / AFP)
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Pope Marks 12th Anniversary of Papacy Hospitalized but with Condition Improving

(FILES) Pope Francis is silhouetted against window light during a private audience with Malta's President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the Vatican on September 29, 2014. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / POOL / AFP)
(FILES) Pope Francis is silhouetted against window light during a private audience with Malta's President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the Vatican on September 29, 2014. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / POOL / AFP)

Pope Francis marked the 12th anniversary of his papacy Thursday with increasingly positive medical updates four weeks into his hospitalization for double pneumonia.
The pope spent another tranquil night, the Vatican said in its brief morning statement.
A chest X-ray confirmed improvements, the Vatican said on Wednesday, just two days after doctors declared he’s no longer in imminent danger of death. The latest medical bulletin said that the 88-year-old pope’s condition remained stable, but indicated a complex picture considering his overall fragility, The Associated Press reported.
The Holy See hasn’t said how the anniversary of his election as the 266th pope might be commemorated. It is a public holiday at the Vatican and Masses are planned in his honor at churches in Rome. No medical bulletins will be issued.
Francis on Wednesday remotely followed a Lenten spiritual retreat that has been a mainstay of his papacy. He continues to receive high flows of oxygen through nasal tubes during the day and a non-invasive mechanical mask to aid his rest at night.
Former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected on the fifth ballot of the 2013 conclave, which was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
While Francis has praised Benedict’s humility in stepping down and said he might follow in his footsteps, more recently he has said the papacy is a job for life.
Another milestone comes Friday, when Francis marks four weeks of hospitalization.