Foreign students attending Wrocław's Medical University are to be subject to numerous restrictions due to fears they could use lab materials to produce bombs.

The news about the policy became public earlier today when Gazeta Wyborcza published a leaked letter sent to the them by an unnamed member of staff at Wrocław Medical University.

A section of the letter reads as follows:

"In connection with the letter sent by the Vice-Rector for Didactics, I am asking you to grant restricted access to English Division students (in particular those of Nigerian and Arabic origin) to the chemical reagents used in your units. This procedure is intended to prevent the possible use of these reagents for the preparation of explosive or toxic materials."

The letter then goes on to state that a strict list must be kept of all foreign medical students using the University's laboratories. Foreign students are also banned from attending the laboratory unattended.

Paula Sawicka of the 'Open Republic' organisation described the policy as "open discrimination". Maciej Mandelt from the Nomada association also described the letter as "scandalous" and added that it is "adopting a strategy of fear management and may result in increased aggression towards foreigners."

So far the only student attending a Wrocław University who has been guilty of terrorism is a 23 year old Pole, Paweł. R. His failed attempt at bombing a bus could potentially have killed dozens.

Thankfully after some swift action by the bus driver, as well as a stroke of luck, only one person suffered minor injuries in the attack. Back in November Paweł was handed a 20-year-sentence – 15 years for being guilty of a terrorist attack, plus another 5 years for trying to extort gold via a bomb threat.

Under the medical University's new policy (and indeed under the old one), there would be nothing to stop a Polish national like Paweł. R planning a similar attack using laboratory materials.

The person who leaked the paper said he chose to do so because the Medical University's policy is "a manifestation of racism and xenophobia." In a short interview published by Gazeta Wyborcza, the University employee asked rhetorically "Why should we only monitor foreign students, in particular those of Arabic or Nigerian origin?"

The professor who penned the letter is currently on sick leave and has not made further comment since the news of the policy leaked.

However Medical University spokesperson Monika Maziak has stressed that all students are "always monitored in laboratories". She also claimed that the policy was justified as "There are growing tensions in Nigeria and the Arab countries. We would rather anticipate incidents and act preventively so as to minimize the damage. Therefore those conducting classes with students from other countries have received a reminder about the need for special precautions."