The key facts

  • The shooter was identified as Michal O. from Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski; he held a permit for two types of firearms
  • His 52-year-old father owned 11 firearms; neither had a criminal record
  • Poland's defense minister denied claims that the attacker was a serviceman

The shooter's identity and details of the incident

The man who carried out a mass shooting in the center of Krakow has been identified as a resident of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski named Michal O. These details were revealed by the Polish portal Onet, according to which the attacker had a permit to own two types of firearms, while his father owned an entire arsenal. The shooter drove a car registered to his 52-year-old father, who held a weapons permit and owned 11 firearms. Neither Michal O. nor his father had any prior criminal record.

Military uniform and the defense minister's rebuttal

The attacker's appearance drew particular attention from investigators: police spokesperson Katarzyna Cislo said the man was dressed in a military-style uniform and armed with a long-barreled weapon, believed to be a semi-automatic AR-15 carbine. Another weapon and ammunition were also found in the suspect's car. Initially, Onet's sources in Poland's Ministry of National Defense suggested the attacker might have been a former soldier, but the head of the ministry, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, categorically denied this information: “This man is not, and never was, a soldier of the Polish Armed Forces and never had any connection to the army,” the minister wrote on the social network X.

The dead and the wounded

Earlier, Life.ru reported that the bodies of three more people were found in the shooter's home — this was announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The presumed victims were first spotted in drone footage, after which the police confirmed the discovery of the bodies. In addition, the Russian embassy reported that a Russian woman had been wounded: diplomats contacted her relatives and continue to monitor the situation.