Health minister: arson attack in Zamość was an act of terror

At a press briefing on Monday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that "this night a flagrant act of banditry took place in Zamość, where a perpetrator set fire to the State Sanitary-Epidemiological Station, and attacked a vaccination point, set it on fire".

Later on Monday, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski spoke to reporters.

"Honestly, I'm lost for words," the minister said. "It was an act of terror. An act of terror targeting not only people who work here or at the county inspectorate, but also an act of terror against the state," he added.

He also said that "the goal behind these attacks is to discourage people from vaccinations". He stressed that, facing the upcoming fourth wave, such actions could only mean "risk of lockdown, risk of introducing additional restrictions and raising public emotions".

"Whoever did this, as well as people who had inspired this perpetrator, are surely aware that this isn't just an attack on this container which is behind me, but it's an attack on the Polish state. In needs to be said. This is an attack on our immunity against COVID, on what is about to happen in the autumn," the minister said.

Niedzielski also drew attention to the internet hate in social media, "dominated, so to speak, by anti-vaccination movement".

"We've been dealing with fake news campaign, campaign of lies and deceit which are simply spread online. Denying them, which is practically impossible given the amount of information, instead of leading to discussion, has absolutely led to even worse lies, ever-bigger escalation, also online," Niedzielski added.

According to the minister, another stage of aggression took place on July 25, when physical violence was used against vaccination point employees and security staff. He was referring to the incident which had taken place in Grodzisk Mazowiecki.

Voivodeship police chief's spokesperson Andrzej Fijołek said the fire first appeared in a mobile vaccination point at Rynek Solny in Zamość, and later in the County Sanitary-Epidemiological Station building at Peowiaków street. "According to preliminary assessment, the perpetrator broke a basement window and set fire inside," Fijołek said.

He added that no one was hurt in the fires.

City CCTV footage has been secured. The spokesman said that a man who had fled on a bike right before the police arrival could be a potential suspect. "We call on potential witnesses to come forward, you will remain anonymous," Fijołek appealed.

Lublin voivode spokesperson Agnieszka Strzępka said assessment of damage was ongoing. "The inside of the container, the equipment, was damaged worst due to the smoke, vaccines which were stored in a fridge were most likely damaged too," she explained.