Krakow, November 7: Six people were killed and 16 wounded after a gunman opened fire on Saturday afternoon in Krakow's busy Main Market Square, the Associated Press reported, in what Poland's defence minister called an 'act of terror' on the people of the city.

Source: Associated Press

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski told the news conference that the suspect was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held 'very radical views', the AP reported. Reports of the same news conference by Energy Radio and Meeko News carried the minister's words that 'everything indicates that he acted alone and had very radical views', and BBC News' live coverage headlined the suspect as inspired by far-right ideologies. The minister stressed that the motive indication will have to be verified — investigators have announced no final motive.

Source: Energy Radio — Krakow press conference report

Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called the shooting an act of terror aimed at residents and tourists, according to reports of the news conference, and promised the motives would be thoroughly examined. He also confirmed the attacker is not, and never was, a soldier in the Polish Armed Forces, contradicting earlier media reports.

Kierwinski put the number of injured at 16 — up from the 15 reported earlier in the day — and said two of the wounded had already been released from hospital. He also confirmed that one of the six people killed was a foreign national. The victims' names have still not been released. Two police officers were among the wounded, one of them seriously after being hit by three bullets, and the minister said police fired their first shots at the attacker within three minutes of the first call: their 'lightning-fast reaction prevented a much bigger massacre'.

Police have still not officially named the suspect. Polish media and police sources have named him unofficially as Michal O., 24, from Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski in central Poland, saying he held a firearms permit and had no criminal record; the AP described the suspect as a 25-year-old Polish citizen, so the reported ages differ between sources and are given here as each source stated them. The interior minister said the gunman's home is being searched.

The attack began at around 3 p.m. local time, when the gunman drove a car onto the Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), a major tourist destination, and fired at random people, Krakow police said earlier. Police spokeswoman Katarzyna Cislo said he wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun, and that other firearms and a large quantity of ammunition were found in his car. Officers shot and wounded him in a gunfight a short distance from the square; he was taken to hospital for surgery and remains in custody. Police say he acted alone and the public is safe.

Mourning, support and what happens next

Poland's president has begun the formal process to declare national mourning on Sunday, November 8 and Monday, November 9, Energy Radio reported, and Krakow itself is in official mourning until November 11. Every football match in Poland this weekend will open with a minute's silence. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany 'stands with Poland'. Krakow has opened a 24-hour psychological support line through its Crisis Intervention Centre on +48 12 421 92 82, with in-person help at Radziwillowska 8b; theatres, cinemas and the Krakow Philharmonic cancelled the night's performances, and Cardinal Grzegorz Rys will celebrate a special Mass for the victims at St Mary's Basilica at 4 p.m. local time on Sunday.

What happens next: investigators are searching the suspect's home and examining his weapons, communications and movements to establish a verified motive; Prime Minister Donald Tusk travelled to Krakow, where ministers and security-service chiefs were due to meet on Saturday night. The casualty figures and the motive account may change as hospitals and police update their findings.

Our first report on the attack, when five deaths had been confirmed, is here: Read the first Krakow report