An accused British national was arrested in Poland for allegedly smuggling people across border to Belarus.
Polish police announced Monday that the unnamed man was taken into custody by Polish police for carrying eight Iraqis in his vehicle.
According to officers, he was one of four foreigners detained under suspicion of people smuggling.
The news about the arrest came after an intense night on the frontier when border guards were bombarded with rocks. They also tried to break the fence with 118 unsuccessful attempts.
Two Syrian brothers were also rescued from woodland close to the village of Bielsk Podlaski, in Poland, suffering advanced stages of hypothermia.
Polish police claim that a British citizen was one of four people arrested over the weekend for smuggling Iraqi migrants from Belarus to Poland (pictured is the border area today).
The incident occurred after an unruly night on the frontier that saw guards attacked with rocks. One of them was admitted to the hospital.
Aid workers rescued two Syrian men – identified as brothers Kader, 39 (pictured), and Loas, 41, who were found in the forest on the Polish side of the border suffering hypothermia
The rescuers stated that the men were lost for 4 days and could not stand. They also said they couldn’t speak and weren’t able to move.
Polish workers identified the two as Kader, 39, and Loas, 41, from Homs in Syria. They were both unconscious and mostly unable to talk when discovered on Sunday night.
The pair had been wandering for four days in the forest having apparently crossed from Belarus near the town of Białowieża, 30 miles from where they were found, their rescuers added..
Volunteers with the Salvation Foundation said the men alerted them to their plight with a phone call during which they sounded disoriented, before they were eventually located after and hours-long search.
Ambulance workers and police were dispatched to the scene and transported the couple to nearby hospitals. The current state of their condition is not known.
The death comes just a week after the body from a young Syrian citizen was discovered close to the border. Winter is approaching and there are concerns that more may die.
A border guard was also taken to the hospital after being struck by a rock. However, their injuries aren’t considered serious. Also, a police car was damaged.
Polish officers said a total of 47 migrants were arrested after making illegal crossings into the country – with a ‘smuggler’s grotto’ found close to the border at Białystok.
Around 4,000 migrants are currently stranded on the Belarusian side of the border. They have been trapped in camps without food and water.
European leaders charged Belarus with orchestrating the crisis to undermine the EU, with Russia’s support
According to them, five individuals were detained, three of which had illegally resided in Poland. They also claimed that six vehicles were seized. The reason for the arrest of foreign smugglers remains a mystery.
Maciej Wąsik, the Polish Secretary of State, said Monday that there are now an estimated 4,000 migrants at the border – concentrated at the Kuznica crossing.
According to him, groups of 50-100 people are regularly attacking the border fence trying to gain access. He stated that they were carried out “under the supervision” of the Belarusian border guards.
He also promised that Polish security guards, including 15,000 soldiers and some 2000 police officers, would continue to prevent migrants from crossing into the EU.
“We must show our support.” [Belarus dictator]Lukashenko stated Monday that the Polish border was secure and that he would not give in to pressure.
“If we concede now, then we’ll give up next time.”
European leaders have accused Lukashenko, of funneling migrants to the frontier as part of an egregious plot to weaken the bloc and use vulnerable people as weapons.
According to them, the leader of the strongman has been luring Belarusians for months with the promise to open doors to Europe. Then they push them over the border to force them to illegally cross the border.
Belarusian soldiers were accused of trying provoke confrontation with Polish troops. They marshal migrants near the border
Belarus claims that it did not create the crisis and the migrants are legal immigrants who deserve to be allowed access to the EU. (Image: Guards distribute food.
Poland vows to defend Europe’s eastern borders against Lukashenko’s efforts at using vulnerable people for a weapon.
While most of the crisis centers on Poland’s border, neighboring Latvia and Lithuania also report an increase in crossing attempts. There are also fears Lukashenko may also begin pushing people into Ukraine.
It is believed that the plot was to exact revenge on EU sanctions placed upon Belarus after Lukashenko took control of a Ryanair flight and arrested a journalist.
Vladimir Putin, a close ally to Lukashenko and suspected architect of the scheme, is backing him.
Separately, Putin was accused by the US of planning for an invasion of Ukraine. They had gathered tanks, artillery, and troops at the border.
Washington worries that Putin may send his troops to the restive regions of the country’s east in an attempt at seizing territory, just as he did when he annexed Ukraine in 2014.
Ukraine is fighting an ongoing war for over a decade in Luhansk, Donbass, and other regions against Russian-backed separatists groups.
General Sir Nick Carter (head of the British Armed Forces) warned that war with Russia must be planned in the West if there is a crisis.