Poland mourns victims of Krakow mass shooting as terrorism probe launched

Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday, a day after a 24-year-old man with far-right views opened fire in a busy central square in Krakow, killing six people and wounding 15 others.

The attack, which Poland’s defense minister described as an “act of terror,” happened in Main Square, a major tourist hub in the heart of Krakow’s Old Town.

The alleged shooter, a Polish man, was shot and wounded by police.

The prosecutors said on Sunday they started an investigation for murder and attempted murder of numerous people, including police officers, with the act “constituting a terrorist offense.”

Four women and two men were killed in the Main Square shooting. Three of the women and one of the men were Polish, Krzysztof Jan Klęczar, the Malopolska regional governor, said on Sunday. A man from the U.K. and a woman from an unidentified foreign country were also among the dead.

The bodies of three people — the assailant’s sister, mother and father — were found at the man’s house in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, a city about 93 miles northeast of Krakow. They likely died from gunshot wounds, authorities said.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect holds “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views.

“Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński said at a news conference.

The two police officers who stopped the gunman, in actions authorities hailed as heroic, remain in hospital. One of them is still in a coma while the other woke up from a coma, Klęczar said. Officials launched an appeal for blood donations for the benefit of the most seriously wounded officer.

“If it weren’t for the efficient and selfless intervention of these two young men, the number of victims could have been significantly higher,” Klęczar said.

He said the assailant’s father owned over 10 guns legally and that the attacker also owned guns. Local officials in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski said they seized seven weapons from the family home, bringing the total number recovered to 11, including four found in the possession of the man in Krakow or in his car.

The suspect is also in critical condition after undergoing multiple surgeries. 

Mourning the victims and Poland

The square remained partially closed on Sunday morning as authorities continued their investigation.

St. Mary’s Trumpet Call, a traditional five-note melody played every hour from the highest tower of St. Mary’s Basilica on the Main Square, was paused overnight in tribute to the victims. It is the first time the call has been missed since World War II.

“I’m absolutely devastated,” Weronika Filar, 27, a Krakow resident, told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

“It’s one of the safest places on Earth genuinely … I did not expect anything like this to happen to us,” she said. “Our city will never be the same.”

“We’ve heard of various incidents of this sort happening elsewhere in Europe,” Krzysztof Stepien, a 28-year-old part-time city guide, told AFP.

“Nothing like this has ever happened here, and I hope it never will again,” Stepien said.

American tourist Marylin Green mourned the losses in the “beautiful city” during her first trip to Poland that also included the capital.

“I’m Polish, my parents were from here,” she said. “I loved Warsaw. So I was really looking forward to coming here, too.”

The European flags were flying at half-mast outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on Sunday.

Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children. The young attackers used knives or other sharp objects.

The Krakow shooter’s military gear, guns and overall look were similar to those of other “extreme right lone actors” committing attacks around Europe, said Kacper Rekawek, a senior researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague.

“We have had attempts before, but now we can say that these kinds of attacks have become successful in Poland,” Rekawek said.