Knife attack in a monastery in Jarosław - a priest dead, four injured

Crowds of city residents gathered in the market square in Jarosław to pass in front of the temple where the priest was attacked by a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen, whom doctors diagnosed with acute psychosis.

Four other people were also injured in the attack, including two priests. The perpetrator was arrested by the court today for three months and will be detained in hospital. The man's health condition does not allow him to be questioned.

Some of the demonstrators came to pay tribute to the tragically deceased priest. He was for people - said the faithful.

The point is not to treat other foreigners as a threat. This type of madness is attributed individually - added one of the residents of Jarosław in a conversation with an RMF FM reporter.

Attack on the monastery grounds

The incident took place on Thursday before noon on the premises of the abbey at Benedyktyńska Street in Jarosław. According to the investigators' findings so far, the 31-year-old entered the monastery kitchen, took a knife and attacked five people - four men and a woman.

The priest who tried to stop the attacker died. Two people remain in a serious condition in a hospital in Jarosław, but their condition has not worsened since Friday. The injured woman is being treated at a hospital in Przeworsk. One of the attacked people has already left the facility in Przemyśl.

Psychiatric experts diagnosed the 31-year-old with acute polymorphic psychotic disorders. As investigators point out, the current opinion does not yet determine whether the man was sane at the time of the attack.

The court accepted the request of the District Prosecutor's Office in Jarosław and decided to temporarily arrest Ihor M. until December 23, 2026.

According to prosecutor Bożena Harasz-Wołoszyn from the District Prosecutor's Office in Przemyśl, the preventive measure is to be performed in a hospital setting. The suspect was not brought to the court hearing due to his health condition.