Krakow square left in shock after 24-year-old kills six in shooting
Police shot and wounded the attacker, who authorities said held far-right views, after he drove into Main Square and opened fire on crowds.
By Samir Patterson ·
Six people are dead and 15 are wounded after a 24-year-old man drove into Main Square in Krakow and opened fire on Saturday. The attack took place in the heart of the city's Old Town, a major tourist hub in Poland's second-largest city. Poland began a two-day national mourning period on Sunday as authorities investigated the incident.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński told reporters that the attacker holds very radical and ultranationalistic views. He stated that everything indicates the man was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz described the incident as an act of terror. The attacker was shot and wounded by police and remains in critical condition after multiple surgeries.
Police found three dead bodies at the attacker's family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, located about 93 miles northeast of Krakow. The victims are the man's sister, mother, and father. Authorities said they likely died from gunshot wounds. The father legally owned over 10 guns, and the attacker also possessed firearms.
Four women and two men died in the square. Regional Governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar said three of the women and one of the men were Polish. A man from the U.K. and a woman from an unidentified foreign country were also killed. Five non-Poles were wounded, including citizens from the U.K., Portugal, Russia, Germany, and Austria.
Two police officers stopped the attacker and remain in hospital. One is in a coma, while the other has woken up. Klęczar called their intervention efficient and selfless, noting the death toll could have been higher without their actions. Officials launched an appeal for blood donations for the most seriously wounded officer.
Witnesses posted videos showing people fleeing to nearby small streets and first responders resuscitating victims. In one clip, an officer shoots the attacker repeatedly while he lies on the street before the officer collapses. Marie-Ange Collaer, who was visiting from Brussels, wrote on Facebook that her family hid on the floor of a shop. She described hearing bullets everywhere and seeing people who did not survive.
Authorities initially reported the attacker's age as 25 before correcting it to 24 on Sunday. Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland, though three attacks at schools in Mazovia province occurred in mid-October within four days. Those incidents left one person dead and many wounded. Kacper Rekawek, a researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism, said the attacker's gear and appearance matched other extreme right lone actors in Europe.
About 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, a country of 37 million. Interest in gun ownership has been rising. The square remained partially closed on Sunday morning as mourners left candles for the victims and investigators continued their work.
