Kraków, November 8. The death toll from the shooting on Kraków’s Main Square has risen to six and 15–16 people were wounded; Poland has declared mourning for November 8 and 9, and in Kraków it lasts until November 11, Polish authorities said.
At about 15:00 local time on November 7 a man drove a car into the Main Square from Sławkowska Street and began shooting at random people. Police said they reached the scene 23 seconds after the report and the officers fired their first shots three minutes later. The attacker was wounded and detained a few blocks from the square, the Polish press reported. One of the two wounded police officers is in a critical condition, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said. According to Lesser Poland Governor Krzysztof Klęczar, 13 of the wounded have “red” status after medical triage, meaning their lives are at risk.
Of the six dead, four are women and two are men, one of them a foreigner, a Polish publication says; according to the Russian agency, Poland’s police chief named him as a British citizen, TASS reported. Polish authorities’ statements do not mention Kazakh citizens among the dead and wounded; the Russian embassy said a Russian citizen is among the wounded, TASS reported.
The attacker, according to the Polish press, is 24 and a resident of the Świętokrzyskie region; the Polish press calls him Michał O. He had not previously come to police attention and had a firearms permit; a civilian AR-15 carbine was found on him, and a lot of weapons and ammunition in the car. He wore military clothing but is not a serviceman, and Poland’s defence minister denied reports that the shooter had served in the country’s armed forces, TASS reported. Minister Kierwiński said the attacker most likely held “ultra-nationalist views”.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a briefing that Poland had not previously seen such brutal terrorism, and reported that the bodies of people, two women and a man, probably relatives, were found at the attacker’s home. Tusk urged politicians of all parties not to exploit the tragedy. Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared mourning in the city until November 11, and Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś will hold a Mass against violence and hatred on Sunday at 16:00, the Polish press reported. National mourning in Poland applies on Sunday, November 8, and Monday, November 9, the Polish press reported; the draft regulation will go to Tusk for countersignature, a presidential spokesman said.
What it means: Overnight the picture became heavier than in the first reports: six dead, not five, three more bodies were found at the attacker’s home, and the authorities speak of terrorism and have declared national mourning. Polish police denied reports of a second attacker and of a police officer’s death: the only known perpetrator is in custody.
What we know now: Six people died and 15–16 were wounded, 13 of them with life-threatening injuries. The attacker, a Polish citizen, acted alone, was wounded and detained, and is in hospital. Investigators are establishing the motives; the interior minister names ultra-nationalist views as likely. The bodies of three people were found at the attacker’s home, and the circumstances of their deaths are being established. Mourning in Poland is November 8 and 9, in Kraków until November 11.
Background: The Main Square (Rynek Główny) is the central square of Kraków’s Old Town, one of the largest medieval squares in Europe; the city’s historic centre has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1978. Tusk called the attack unprecedented for Poland, and police spokesman Andrzej Fijołek described it as a tragic event with no precedent in the country.
We have also reported on the first reports of the shooting in central Kraków.
