Thwarted Attacks in Poland Justify Tough Anti-Terror Law

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The recent terrorist plots detected in Poland underscore the need for tough national counter-terrorism legislation, former deputy chief of the Polish National Security Bureau Roman Polko said Thursday.

His remarks come as over the past two weeks Polish law enforcement have detained four people who had planted bombs on a bus in Wroclaw and in cars parked near a police station in Warsaw.

"The information about planned terror attacks exposes the shortsightedness of those who criticize the anti-terror law claiming that there is no terrorism in Poland, that we can wait and do it in some other way. Only it is not clear yet, what this other way might be," Polko told the Niezalezna newspaper.

According to Polko, the ideology of the Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in Russia, the United States and many other countries, has infiltrated Poland's borders and caused a surge in political radicalism.

Earlier in May, the Polish government adopted the new anti-terror law, heavily criticized by Polish opposition for its unrestricted control over the digital communication of foreign nationals, access to confidential databases, mandatory sharing of personal data with mobile network operators, and its provision for borders to be shut down in the event of a terrorist threat, among other measures.

The law, currently submitted to the Polish parliament for approval, is expected to take effect before June 1.