The key facts
- Mass shooting in central Kraków on November 7: 6 dead, 15 injured, including two police officers
- Among the dead and injured are citizens of Russia, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Portugal
- The bodies of the parents and sister of the 24-year-old suspect were found in his home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski; national mourning declared in Poland
Shooting on the Main Market Square
A mass shooting took place on the afternoon of November 7 on the Main Market Square in Kraków. According to law enforcement, a 24-year-old Polish citizen dressed in camouflage drove into the city's historic center and opened fire on random passersby. During an attempt to detain him, he engaged in a shootout with police officers, was wounded, and was hospitalized. Six people were killed in the attack, and 15 more were injured, including two police officers. This is reported by Life.ru citing Polish authorities.
The victims are citizens of five countries
The press secretary of Poland's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Karolina Gałecka, said that among the dead and injured were citizens of five foreign countries: the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia, and Portugal. The ministry did not disclose the personal details of the victims or specifics of their condition.
Bodies of three people found in the suspect's home
After the suspect was detained, Polish law enforcement searched his residence in the town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, where they found the bodies of three people. According to Polish police, the deceased were the attacker's parents and sister; the circumstances of their deaths are also being investigated. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk initially said that possible bodies had been spotted in drone footage, and later the police confirmed the discovery of the bodies.
Mourning and the authorities' assessment
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident a terrorist act. A two-day national mourning period was declared in the country for November 8 and 9, and the Kraków authorities extended the city's mourning events until November 11. The circumstances of the attack and the death of the suspect's relatives remain the subject of an investigation; the shooter's motives are not disclosed in available publications.
