A priest has been killed and four other people have been injured, two critically, following a knife attack at a historic Benedictine abbey in southeastern Poland.

Police and prosecutors say the stabbings took place at around 9.30am local time at the Benedictine Abbey on Benedyktyńska Street in the town of Jarosław. Officers called to the site, which includes a Benedictine Sisters' monastery, found four men and one woman with stab wounds.

Bozena Harasz-Woloszyn, of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemysl, confirmed that a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen was detained at the scene. Investigators said the suspect had crossed into Poland from Germany earlier in the day.

Ms Harasz-Woloszyn confirmed that three of the five victims were members of the clergy and two were laypeople. One priest died of his injuries, while two of the surviving victims remain in hospital in a critical, life-threatening condition.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror inside the abbey complex. Sister Barbara Dendor told state broadcaster TVP Info that there was "total panic", with young people emerging from an on-site centre shouting that a "madman" was carrying out an attack. Another witness told television station TVN that a man struck the priest directly in the neck before he collapsed.

Staff Sergeant Anna Długosz, from Jarosław District Police Headquarters, said officers were alerted after receiving an emergency report of an ongoing knife attack on the abbey grounds. Forensic examinations and witness interviews are continuing at the scene.

Jarosław Mayor Marcin Nazarewicz announced that the town will observe an official period of mourning through to the end of the week. Local authorities have also advised schools, public offices, and parishes to step up security and access controls.

Poland's Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski described the attack as "tragic" in a post on X, confirming that psychological support teams have been deployed to assist witnesses and promising that the suspect will face the full severity of Polish law.

Condolences have also been offered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who stated that Ukraine was shaken by the tragedy.

Poland has hosted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, though some social tensions have surfaced in recent months.

The motive behind the attack remains unconfirmed by investigators. I will be following this story closely and will update as further official details emerge.