Poland imposes near-maximum alert level on part of its railway network
Photo: Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland (Getty Images)
The Polish authorities have decided to raise the alert level for certain railway lines due to the threat of new terrorist attacks, states Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, according to Interia.
According to the head of the Polish government, the head of the Internal Security Agency and the Minister of the Interior initiated the introduction of the third alert level, CHARLIE, on certain railway lines.
Tusk clarified that the rest of the country will remain at the second alert level, as before.
"Today I will issue the relevant order on this matter, based on the laws on terrorist activity," the Prime Minister said.
The CHARLIE-CRP level (the third of four) is the official degree of anti-terrorist threat in Poland, established under the Anti-Terrorist Activities law of June 10, 2016.
What CHARLIE means in practice:
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Enhanced protection of critical infrastructure (in this case, specific railway lines);
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Increased patrolling by police, military gendarmerie, and the Internal Security Agency (ABW);
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Possible additional checks of passengers and luggage at stations and on trains;
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Control of military facilities, airports, power plants, and other strategic sites;
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Deployment of special units on high alert.
Sabotage in Poland
On November 17, it was reported that a damaged section of railway leading to the border with Ukraine had been discovered in Poland.
Polish authorities stated that the railway had been damaged as a result of an explosion.
Later, new cases of sabotage were reported on the Warsaw–Lublin railway line.
