Krakow Shooting Kills 6; Far-Right Link Probed, Tusk Cites Terror
(MENAFN) Six people were killed and 16 wounded in a shooting in central Krakow, and early signs point to far-right influence on the gunman, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said late Saturday.
Speaking at a news conference, Kierwinski said preliminary findings indicate the attacker held ultranationalist views and was shaped by far-right ideologies, though none of this has been verified. Police returned fire three minutes after the first report of the attack, he said.
Among the dead was one foreign national, Kierwinski confirmed. The 16 injured include five foreign nationals, two police officers and the suspect.
Police chief Marek Boron said a British national was among those killed. Three of the dead were Poles and one was British, he said, while the identities of the other two victims have not been established. The five injured foreigners come from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and the UK, Boron said.
Police shot the suspect, who remains in serious condition and is undergoing a second operation. Investigators are also checking whether the firearms came from the suspect’s family home.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said officers found three more bodies, two women and one man, at the suspect’s home, which police are still searching. They appeared to be close relatives of the attacker, he said.
“Until now in Poland we haven’t had such drastic cases of terrorism ... that’s what we have to call this cruel attack on people’s lives here in Krakow,” said Tusk.
Tusk said investigators are examining the suspect’s vehicle over fears it could contain explosives. Authorities will move quickly to identify and detain any accomplices, he added.
The attack began shortly after 3 pm local time (1400GMT) near the Main Market Square, one of Poland’s busiest tourist destinations. A Polish radio station reported that attackers in a vehicle on Sławkowska Street, heading toward the square, opened fire on people. Witnesses said around 20 shots were fired.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, and an air ambulance helicopter landed in the square.
Speaking at a news conference, Kierwinski said preliminary findings indicate the attacker held ultranationalist views and was shaped by far-right ideologies, though none of this has been verified. Police returned fire three minutes after the first report of the attack, he said.
Among the dead was one foreign national, Kierwinski confirmed. The 16 injured include five foreign nationals, two police officers and the suspect.
Police chief Marek Boron said a British national was among those killed. Three of the dead were Poles and one was British, he said, while the identities of the other two victims have not been established. The five injured foreigners come from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and the UK, Boron said.
Police shot the suspect, who remains in serious condition and is undergoing a second operation. Investigators are also checking whether the firearms came from the suspect’s family home.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said officers found three more bodies, two women and one man, at the suspect’s home, which police are still searching. They appeared to be close relatives of the attacker, he said.
“Until now in Poland we haven’t had such drastic cases of terrorism ... that’s what we have to call this cruel attack on people’s lives here in Krakow,” said Tusk.
Tusk said investigators are examining the suspect’s vehicle over fears it could contain explosives. Authorities will move quickly to identify and detain any accomplices, he added.
The attack began shortly after 3 pm local time (1400GMT) near the Main Market Square, one of Poland’s busiest tourist destinations. A Polish radio station reported that attackers in a vehicle on Sławkowska Street, heading toward the square, opened fire on people. Witnesses said around 20 shots were fired.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, and an air ambulance helicopter landed in the square.
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