The man suspected of causing a deadly accident on the A1 highway in central Poland has been detained on Wednesday (Oct. 4) by the police in the United Arab Emirates. Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński informed that Sebastian M. was detained by local police, supported by a special task force formed in Poland.
Minister Kamiński added the operation had been carried out in close cooperation with the National Public Prosecutor's Office.
Polish Police said Sebastian M. was detained on Wednesday morning by a special task force which had traveled to the United Arab Emirates and worked there in close cooperation with the local law enforcement.
According to unofficial information gathered by TVN24 reporter Katarzyna Pasikowska-Poczopko, after the accident, Sebatian M. is believed to have first gone to Germany, then to Turkey, and from there to the UAE. The special police task force had arrived in the UAE on Monday, the reporter said.
Poland's Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro said at a press conference in Włocławek on Wednesday that Sebastian M. was waiting in a detention center for the extradition process to begin. The minister added he would send the extradition request to the UAE most likely on Thursday.
"It so happens, which the suspect's attorney's didn't know about, that we have just signed an extradition agreement. For a long time the United Arab Emirates were a country which was considered safe for people running from the Polish justice system," Ziobro added.
The minister also said that Sebastian M. had been using several passports and confirmed the suspect had indeed been in Turkey.
Deputy Justice Minister Sebastian Kaleta said on the X platform that the arrest of Sebastian M. was possible thanks to the criminal cases cooperation agreement Poland signed with the UAE in June.
The tragic accident happened on September 16 after 7 p.m. in Sierosław (Łódź Voivodeship). A family of three, parents and their 5-year-old son, died after their Kia hit the traffic barrier and caught fire.
Initially the police spoke about "unknown causes" but, after a few days of investigation, they informed that another car had taken part in the accident - a BMW.
Later on a dashcam footage showing the moment of the accident and the fire flare-up that followed was published on X. It was recorded by a car going in the opposite direction on the A1 highway.
The witnesses were questioned and the BMW driver tested negative for substance use. The vehicles were secured for further analysis.
The justice minister later decided to issue the arrest warrant against Sebastian M.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: PSP