Polish authorities have detained a 16-year-old male under suspicion of attacking a synagogue with Molotov cocktails. They state their intention to request prosecutors to initiate an investigation.

Polish authorities have detained a 16-year-old male suspected of launching an attack on a synagogue using Molotov cocktails. They intend to request prosecutors on Thursday to launch an investigation into the incident.

The Nożyk Synagogue was targeted around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, causing damage to its facade. Fortunately, no one was present in the prayer hall at the time, and there were no reported injuries.

Collaborating with the Internal Security Agency, the police apprehended the 16-year-old Polish male in Warsaw on Wednesday evening.

“He was completely surprised, he didn’t want to talk, he didn’t reveal his motives,” said police spokesperson Robert Szumiata, as reported by the news agency PAP.

Szumiata stated that police will submit a request to the prosecutor’s office on Thursday to commence an investigation. If convicted, the teenager, with no prior criminal record, could face up to 10 years in prison.

He is being investigated under a section of the penal code which stipulates punishment for those who cause events posing threats to the lives, health, or property of many people, in the form of a fire.

The court will determine whether the 16-year-old will be held accountable for the act as an adult, according to the police spokesperson cited by PAP.

Poland, once home to Europe’s largest Jewish community before the Holocaust, now has only a small number of Jewish residents among its population.