Investigation into Kraków mass shooting examines if attacker acted alone
Polish authorities have confirmed that the 24-year-old gunman behind a rare mass shooting in Kraków has died in hospital after being wounded in a shootout with police. The attack took place on Saturday afternoon in the city's crowded Main Market Square, leaving six people dead, including a British national, and 17 others injured. Among the wounded were two police officers—one left in serious condition—as well as foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia, and Britain. Following the tragedy, Poland observed the first of two days of national mourning, while the historic square was reopened on Sunday evening after security cordons were removed.
The gunman, identified as a resident of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski in southeastern Poland, is also tied to the deaths of his immediate family; police discovered his 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother, and 21-year-old sister dead at their home. Prosecutors have launched a formal terrorism investigation into the attack. While Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński stated that the suspect held radical, ultra-nationalistic views and a fascination with far-right ideologies, government spokesperson Adam Szlapka later urged caution against drawing premature conclusions following pushback from nationalist opposition politicians. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek stressed that despite the perpetrator's death, the inquiry will continue to determine whether he acted alone.
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