Poland mourns six killed in attack as authorities launch ‘terrorism’ probe

What the report says

Poland has entered two days of national mourning after a gun attack in Krakow left six people dead and 15 others injured, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing police and prosecutors. The shooting took place on Saturday in the historic centre of the southern city, and one of the victims was a British national. Authorities said the wounded included citizens of Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia.

The National Prosecutor’s Office said it opened a terrorism-related investigation into the killings and the attempted murder of others, including police officers. The suspected gunman, identified in media reports as a 24-year-old Polish man, is in critical condition after being wounded during a police operation. Officials also said three more bodies were later found at his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 150km northeast of Krakow; police believe they were his parents and sister.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the attacker was influenced by far-right and ultranationalist ideas, while prosecutors said the same person was highly likely to be linked to both the Krakow shooting and the deaths found at his home, though the inquiry is continuing. Krakow’s main square remained closed on Sunday, with candles placed in remembrance and flags at half-mast. The hourly trumpet call from St Mary’s church was suspended for 12 hours, a rare step that the Polish Press Agency said had not happened since 1939.