Several people who fought for extremist groups, including the so-called Islamic State, have been detained and expelled from Poland, Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said on Monday.

He was speaking after the PAP news agency reported on Friday that a Russian citizen from Chechnya registered in Poland as a refugee had been arrested on suspicion of having fought for ISIS in Syria.

Błaszczak told Polish Radio: "The anti-terrorist law passed on 10 June last year... has come into force and thanks to this law Poland is disposing of problems, of threats in the form of people corrupted by jihad ideology."

He added: "There is no doubt that the Polish services have the right tools to ensure security.”

The anti-terrorism law beefed up the powers of Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) and strengthened cooperation between security services in counter-terrorism efforts.

The law has been criticized by the opposition, which has argued that it limits civil liberties.

The Polish authorities last week detained a suspect from Chechnya for three months.

According to PAP, evidence collected by the Internal Security Agency shows that the man fought with the Islamic State group in Syria for two years.

Meanwhile, a district court in Białystok, eastern Poland, ruled on Monday that three Chechens accused of supporting the Islamic State should remain in custody.

A fourth suspect will be released on bail if he puts up PLN 10,000 within three weeks.

They are charged with being part of an organised criminal group operating in Poland and Turkey and of raising funds for ISIS terrorist activities.

(pk)

Source: IAR/PAP