Poland Declares National Mourning After Krakow Shooting as Prosecutors Open Terrorism Investigation
A 24-year-old gunman killed six people in central Krakow, and prosecutors say the attack, along with three bodies found at the suspect's home, is being investigated as a terrorist offence.
By Marina Weber ·
Poland entered two days of national mourning on Sunday after an armed attacker shot dead six people in the historic centre of Krakow, prompting the national prosecutor's office to open a terrorism investigation.
Police said the 24-year-old Polish suspect opened fire on Saturday in the heart of the city's old town. A British national was among those killed, while authorities told the PAP news agency that citizens of Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia were among the 15 people wounded.
Investigators later discovered three more bodies at the suspect's home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 150km northeast of Krakow. Police identified the dead as the man's parents and his sister.
The suspect himself was wounded during the police operation and remains in critical condition in hospital.
In a statement posted on social media on Sunday, Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said it had "launched an investigation today into yesterday's attack in Krakow". It said the probe covered "the killing of six people .. using a firearm, and the attempted murder of many others, including police officers, this act constituting a terrorist offence".
Daniel Prokopowicz, a spokesperson for the office, said it was "highly likely" that the killings in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski and Krakow were committed by the same person, though he stressed that the investigation was still under way.
According to Polish media reports, the suspect, identified as Michal O, held a valid gun licence and had no previous criminal record. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the attacker had been influenced by far-right and ultranationalist ideologies and views.
Krakow's main market square and surrounding streets stayed closed on Sunday, with police granting access only to essential service workers. Many nearby cafes shut their doors, flags at the city hall flew at half-mast, and mourners left candles at several spots around the area.
In a further mark of respect, the traditional hourly trumpet call from St Mary's church on the square was suspended for 12 hours. The Polish Press Agency reported it was the first such pause since 1939.
