The Mayor of Poznań has received a letter with death threats. The author explicitly threatens to kill the mayor. "The collected evidence is enough to charge the person suspected of writing the letter," said the spokesperson of the District Prosecutor's Office in Poznań, Michał Smętkowski. The author has signed the letter. It is believed that he's a double murderer, serving a life sentence since the nineties.
Jaśkowiak received the letter already a few weeks ago, but he informed the public only recently.
"As far as I can remember, I've read the letter once and it was full of offensive and vulgar expressions, and it also contained a threat that if I show up at one of the next rallies, I can expect the same thing that happened to Mayor Paweł Adamowicz. In other words, that I can expect getting killed," the mayor of Poznań told the journalists on Monday.
Mayor feels threatened
The mayor has notified the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Poznań - Old Town.
"The mayor of Poznań has been questioned as a witness and he said that he felt threatened. The collected evidence is enough to charge the person suspected of writing the letter. We're talking about criminal harassment and insult - said Michał Smętkowski, the spokesperson for the District Prosecutor's Office in Poznań.
He added that those were direct death threats, invoking the case of the murder of Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz, as well as using words commonly known as offensive and insulting.
Double murderer
According to "Gazeta Wyborcza," the man has signed the letter. He's a double murderer serving a life sentence. Between 1998 and 1999, he was robbing women, beating his victims and setting their homes on fire. One of the women he had killed was the mother of Bogdan Borusewicz, a former Marshal of the Senate from Civic Platform.
"Only today have I found out that the letter was sent by a person serving a sentence for murder of murders," Jaśkowiak said.
How is it possible that a murderer sends death threats from behind bars? "Correspondence is censored only in case of a temporary custody, but not in case of regular prison sentence," Smętkowski explained.
No security needed
Jaśkowiak informed that he said no to security protection offerred by the police. "I think it would make my work more difficult, had I used security detail. It would also cost a lot of money. I do follow police guidance, also personal advice from a former police chief, an anti-terror officer, who suggested that I change certain habits. It translates into less comfortable life, but those changes are meant to reduce the risk of me being killed, or to increase my chances of survival should an attack on me occured," the mayor of Poznań said.
He also said that he wasn't considering changing his approach to communicating with the residents, nor refraining from commenting on political life, including topics relating to LGBT+ communities. "Especially now, they are very important," said the mayor.
He added that in life- or health-threatening situations, he has advantage over his fellow mayors and local governors.
"Martial arts are my hobby. I stand a better chance to defend myself in extreme situations," he underscored.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN 24