Poland Mourns Kraków Shooting Victims; Gunman Dies in Hospital

Poland declared two days of national mourning on 8 November after a shooting in the historic centre of Kraków on 7 November. According to the news agency Reuters, a man opened fire, killing six people and wounding 16 others. The Polish government says the attack was rooted in far-right ideology. The incident has deepened public concern about extremist views in a country that has long taken pride in being safer than its western neighbours.

The attacker and the victims

The wounded included two police officers and the attacker himself, a 24-year-old man. BBC reported that he died in hospital on the morning of 9 November. The dead include a British citizen and an Austrian citizen, while five more foreigners, from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia, were injured. Kraków's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts tourists from around the world.

At the attacker's home, roughly 200 kilometres north of Kraków, police found the remains of his parents and sister. Prosecution spokesman Daniel Prokopowicz said it is highly likely that the killings at the home and in Kraków were carried out by the same person, but the investigation is still under way. All three people found dead at the house had gunshot wounds, and weapons and a significant amount of ammunition were found on the property. Very little is known about the attacker, though he took part in activities at a shooting club.

Political reaction

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said on 7 November that everything pointed to the attacker holding very radical views and being tied to far-right ideology. This provoked a sharp response from nationalist parties. Przemyslaw Czarnek, deputy leader of the opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), said that if the minister had misled the public, he should face political consequences. The party is demanding immediate explanations and access to the information on which the minister based his statements. On 8 November Kierwinski said he stood by his words, but that the investigation into the motives continues.

Security measures

Police have stepped up security in Warsaw and other Polish cities. In Kraków, the city square and adjoining streets were closed until the evening of 8 November, many nearby cafés were shut, and flags at the city hall were lowered to half-mast.