Poland declares two days of mourning after Krakow mass shooting
A far-right-motivated gunman killed six people in Krakow's Main Square, prompting a national mourning period and a terrorism investigation.
Poland began a two-day period of national mourning on Sunday after a 24-year-old man with far-right views opened fire in Krakow's Main Square, killing six people and wounding 15. The country's defence minister called the attack an "act of terror" and prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation for murder and attempted murder, including of police officers.
Four women and two men were among those killed, including three Polish nationals, a British man and a woman from an unidentified foreign country, regional governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar said. The suspect was shot and wounded by police and remains in critical condition after multiple surgeries.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect held "very radical" and "ultranationalistic" views and was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Police officers who stopped the gunman were hospitalized; one remains in a coma while the other has awakened, Klęczar noted, adding that an appeal for blood donations had been launched for the seriously wounded officer.
Authorities found the bodies of the assailant's sister, mother and father at his home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 93 miles northeast of Krakow, and believe they died from gunshot wounds. Police seized seven weapons from the family home, bringing the total recovered to 11, including four found with the suspect in Krakow.
The Main Square remained partially closed as investigations continued. The traditional St. Mary's Trumpet Call, played hourly from the basilica tower, was paused overnight in tribute, marking the first interruption since World War II. Local residents expressed shock and grief, describing the city as previously safe and hoping such an event will not recur.
European flags flew at half-mast outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. While mass shootings are rare in Poland, recent school attacks in the Mazovia region have raised concerns about violence, and a senior researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism noted the similarity of the Krakow shooter’s gear to that of other extreme-right lone actors in Europe.