The ABW issued a warning on 6th May that minors and youth are becoming more vulnerable to extremism online, where information is being disseminated via messengers, social networks, and gaming platforms, which provide users with significant anonymity.
This statement was made by the service in its forecast for 2024-2025.
The ABW is an intelligence service in Poland, whose responsibilities include counterterrorism, counterintelligence operations, and the protection of Poland’s constitutional system.
According to the ABW, “extreme behavior on the part of youth is not often dictated by any ideological conviction but is based rather on attraction to violence, such as mass killings and terrorism.”
Nonetheless, the agency noted that the risk from Islamist terrorism in Poland is still relatively low compared to Western Europe. This was because individual cases of radicalization had been detected among both Polish nationals and foreigners residing within Poland.
According to the agency, it compiled 178 reports about terrorist threats for policymakers in 2024 and 2025, conducted 19 investigations of which seven were conducted in 2025, and issued almost 700 operational reports related to terrorist threats during the two years.
Furthermore, the report indicated an obvious increase in the activity of the far right, while there was ongoing activity on the part of the anti-state and anti-system movements. The agency noted that such movements employ the internet social networking sites in propagating their messages and promoting their activities, thereby furthering polarizing propaganda.
It noted that the rhetoric used by the leaders and activists of the anti-state movement frequently overlapped with the policies of Russia and Belarus. Moreover, manipulation and propaganda can make individuals susceptible to radicalization and perceive Russian and Belarusian narratives as representing stability, power, and security.
An increase was also seen in cases related to extreme left-wing environmental organizations. According to the agency, there were cases where members destroyed private property, disturbed the peace of citizens, and obstructed the functioning of infrastructure vital to the national economy, including those that provided energy resources.
In addition to other responsibilities, the ABW reported analyzing approximately 5,500 requests concerning international business operations with strategic products. It also gave more than 880 opinions on license applications from companies engaged in the manufacture or trade of explosives, weapons, ammunition, and military or police equipment.
