KRAKOW, Poland: Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday after a 24-year-old man drove into a busy square in Krakow and opened fire, killing six people and wounding 15 others before being shot and wounded by police.
The attack took place on Saturday in Main Square, at the heart of Krakow’s Old Town and a major tourist destination in Poland’s second-largest city.
Poland’s defence minister described the incident as an “act of terror”.
By Saturday evening, mourners had left candles in memory of the victims. The square remained partially closed on Sunday morning as authorities continued their investigation.
Police also found three bodies at the attacker’s family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 150 kilometres northeast of Krakow.
Authorities said the victims were the attacker’s sister, mother and father and that they were believed to have died from gunshot wounds.
Four women and two men were killed in the Main Square attack. At least three of the women were Polish, while one of those killed was a UK citizen, according to authorities.
Five foreign nationals from the UK, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria were among those wounded.
Police officers hailed as heroes
Two police officers who stopped the attacker remain in hospital after authorities praised their actions as heroic.
One officer is in critical condition, prompting officials to appeal for blood donations.
Videos posted on social media by witnesses showed people fleeing the square and seeking cover in nearby streets as first responders attempted to resuscitate victims.
One video showed a police officer repeatedly firing at the attacker as he lay in the street before the officer himself slowly collapsed.
Authorities point to far-right views
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the attacker held “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views.
“Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński told a news conference.
The attacker’s military gear, weapons and appearance were similar to those of other “extreme right lone actors” involved in attacks elsewhere in Europe, according to Kacper Rekawek, a senior researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague.
“We have had attempts before, but now we can say that these kinds of attacks have become successful in Poland,” he said.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place over four days in mid-October, leaving one person dead and several others wounded, including children. The young attackers used knives or other sharp objects.
Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, a country with a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.
