On Sunday, Poland began two days of mourning for the victims of the shooting on Kraków’s main market square. Six people were killed and another 15 were injured, DW reports.
The attack took place on Saturday in the Main Square (Rynek Główny) in the Old Town — the country’s second-largest city. The location is popular with tourists.
Police said on Sunday that, in addition to the six people killed in the square, the bodies of the suspect’s sister, mother and father were found at his home. The family house is in the town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 150 kilometres north-east of Kraków.
Police said several firearms were seized from the flat.
According to Polish media, the suspect had no previous convictions.
Tusk Called the Attack an Act of Far-Right “Terrorism”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack an act of far-right “terrorism”, though law enforcement has not yet stated a possible motive.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office said it has opened an investigation into Saturday’s shooting, classifying the incident as a suspected “terrorist offence”.
People who came to pay tribute to the dead left candles in the square. Black flags also appeared in the city, along with Polish national flags tied with black ribbons.
On Sunday morning, part of the square remained cordoned off as law enforcement continued investigative work.
More on the Kraków Shooting
The 24-year-old suspect, who was wearing military camouflage during the attack, is believed to have fired indiscriminately at people while moving around the square.
Police shot and wounded him, and he is now in hospital in critical condition.
According to the Polish authorities, the man held far-right extremist and ultra-nationalist views.
Authorities say those killed include a British citizen, while the injured include citizens of Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Russia. Two police officers were wounded during the suspect’s arrest. They are currently in hospital, and one of them is in a critical condition.
The Kraków Carriers’ Association told the Polish Press Agency PAP that several carriage drivers who operate horse-drawn carriages were seriously injured in the shooting.
- According to Andrzej Fijołek, spokesperson for Poland’s Chief Police Commander, the attacker fired a civilian version of the AR-15 military rifle. Poland’s Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz denied reports that the attacker was a serviceman. He said the man had never served in the Polish Armed Forces and had no connection to the military.
- Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no Ukrainian citizens were injured in the Kraków shooting.