The gunman who killed six people in Krakow's Main Market Square on Saturday has died in hospital, Polish police said on Monday morning, in the latest development in an attack that has put Poland into two days of national mourning.
Source: BBC News
"We would like to inform you that the perpetrator of the tragic events died in hospital early this morning," the Malopolska police force, which covers Krakow, wrote on X. The Associated Press reported that the 24-year-old had been in critical condition after police shot him to end the attack and had undergone several operations.
Source: Associated Press
This is a new development in the Krakow Main Market Square shooting first reported by Awaaz Punjab on Saturday, when the confirmed death toll reached six and police identified the attacker as a 24-year-old Polish man. The gunman's death in hospital early on Monday is the development reported here; the terrorism investigation into the attack itself continues. Read the earlier report: Krakow market square shooting, toll six
How Saturday's attack unfolded
The shooting began shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Saturday in the busy Main Market Square in the heart of Krakow's Old Town, a major tourist hub in Poland's second-largest city. The assailant drove through the square to start the attack, the Associated Press reported. Armed officers raced to the scene and shot the suspect within three minutes of the attack beginning, a rapid response officials credited with preventing further deaths, according to the BBC.
Source: BBC News; Associated Press
The victims
Six people — four women and two men — were killed. The BBC reported that four of the victims were Polish, and that a British national and an Austrian woman were also among those killed. Sixteen people, including five foreigners, two police officers and the attacker himself, were taken to hospital; the interior ministry said the foreign wounded were from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia, the BBC reported.
Source: BBC News
On Sunday night, mourners laid candles and flowers alongside bullet holes in the square. "I come here so as not to get caught up in a spiral of fear and anxiety," Krakow local Maciej Sikorski told the Associated Press at the square. "In a situation like this, it's all too easy to stop living — to start being afraid instead, and just vegetate. That is something I really want to avoid."
Source: Associated Press
Three family members found dead at his home
After the attack, police searching the gunman's family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 150 kilometres (93 miles) north-east of Krakow, found three bodies. On Sunday, police confirmed the three were the alleged gunman's father, aged 53, his mother, aged 52, and his sister, aged 21. The Associated Press reported they likely died from gunshot wounds.
Source: BBC News; Associated Press
Far-right motive alleged, terrorism investigation open
Police have identified the attacker as a 24-year-old Polish man but have not confirmed his name. Ministers have said early investigations indicate he was inspired by "far-right ideologies" and described him as an "ultra-nationalist", without giving further details, the BBC reported. Poland's national prosecutor's office has opened a formal terrorism investigation. An interior ministry spokeswoman, Karolina Galecka, told radio TOK FM on Monday that there were many different emblems on the perpetrator's clothing that had been partially examined and interpreted, according to Guardian reporting of the case.
Source: BBC News; The Guardian
What is solid
- The suspected gunman died in hospital early on Monday, the Malopolska police force announced on X — reported by the BBC, the Associated Press and The Guardian
- Six people were killed and 15 wounded in Saturday's Main Market Square attack; the suspect was shot by police within three minutes
- The three bodies found at the family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski were confirmed on Sunday as his father, 53, mother, 52, and sister, 21
What is only claimed
- The motive — ministers say early findings suggest far-right inspiration, but the terrorism investigation is continuing and police have not confirmed the attacker's name or a final motive
- Exact wounded counts differ slightly between reports — 15 wounded (AP) and 16 taken to hospital including the attacker (BBC)
An officer still fighting for his life
Local police have launched a blood appeal for Senior Constable Jakub Kulik, who confronted the armed attacker, suffered serious injuries and is fighting for his life in hospital, Guardian reporting said. Poland has begun two days of national mourning for the victims.
Source: The Guardian via Glasgow Times
What happens next
With the suspect dead, he will never face trial, and investigators' focus now shifts to establishing how he prepared the attack, whether anyone helped or knew of his plans, and confirming the circumstances of the three killings at the family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski. The terrorism investigation remains open, police have not released the gunman's name, and updates are expected on the condition of the wounded, including Officer Kulik. Awaaz Punjab will follow the investigation's findings as they are confirmed by Polish authorities.
Saturday's attack, the rising toll and the family killings were covered in our earlier report. Read: Krakow market square shooting — six killed