Six people were killed and 16 were reported injured, including the suspect, in a shooting at Krakow’s Main Market Square on Saturday, November 7. Police detained the wounded 24-year-old after an exchange of fire. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack an act of “terrorism.”
The gunman, described as masked and wearing military-style clothing, drove onto the busy square at about 3 p.m. and opened fire as people ran for cover in nearby buildings. Police evacuated residents from surrounding buildings and closed the square and adjoining streets while officers searched the suspect’s vehicle for explosives, Euronews reported.
The suspect is a Polish citizen from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, in southeastern Poland. Police said he had no previous convictions and held a firearms licence. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the man appeared to hold “very radical views” and was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the suspect had never served in the Polish armed forces.
Three more bodies found at suspect’s home
Police later found the bodies of the suspect’s father, mother and sister at his home. The victims, aged 53, 52 and 20, reportedly had gunshot wounds. Tusk said there was “much to suggest” they were members of the suspect’s immediate family. Authorities have treated these deaths separately from the six people killed in the square.
Among those killed in the attack were four women and two men. One victim was identified as a British citizen. A Portuguese national and a Russian national were reported among the injured.
Police said the suspect had a semi-automatic firearm resembling an AR-15-style rifle and a pistol. Officers also secured other weapons and ammunition from his car. Two officers were injured; one was in serious condition, while the other was described as extremely seriously injured. Tusk named the officers who detained the suspect as senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański.
Clayton Ward