Priest killed as a Ukrainian man stabs five people in Jarosław, Poland

Police in Jarosław, in Poland’s Podkarpacie region, detained a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen on Thursday morning, September 24, 2026, after he allegedly stabbed five people with a knife on the grounds of the Benedictine Sisters’ Abbey (Jarosławskie Opactwo) on Benedyktyńska Street.

According to the Jarosław District Police Headquarters, officers received a report around 9:30 a.m. that a man was attacking someone with a knife at the abbey complex. Upon arrival, they arrested the 31-year-old foreign national. Preliminary findings indicate that minutes earlier he had wounded four men and one woman. All five victims were taken to hospital; three of the men sustained serious injuries.

Later updates from police and medical sources confirmed that one of the victims—a priest—died from his wounds. Hospital officials reported that the deceased suffered multiple stab and cut wounds to the chest and abdomen, leading to fatal blood loss. Two other patients underwent surgery. The injured include three priests and two civilians.

The attack occurred at the abbey’s formation and retreat center area, near the church, around the time of a planned morning Mass. Witnesses described people taking shelter, including some who hid in a confessional. The suspect was unknown to the religious community and was detained at the scene; a knife was recovered.

Police and the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl are investigating the exact sequence of events and the motive. No further details on the suspect’s background or possible reasons for the attack have been released. Authorities continue to examine the scene and interview witnesses.

The official police statement from Podkarpacka Policja noted that officers are working on site to clarify the full circumstances of the incident.