Shooting in Krakow, Poland, leaves six dead and 15 injured; three more bodies found at attacker's home

Krakow, Poland. At least six people were killed and 15 others injured on Saturday when an armed man drove a car into Krakow's main square, in southern Poland, and opened fire indiscriminately at tourists and passersby, Polish police said.

The attack took place at around 3:00 p.m. local time (9:00 a.m. in New York), in the Market Square, the city's largest, near the emblematic St. Mary's Basilica. According to witnesses, the gunman fired at groups of people filling the square's terraces, one of the busiest areas of the city, especially on weekends.

The dead are four women and two men, according to police. Of the 15 injured, 12 are in serious condition. Among the injured are two police officers: one was shot once and the other suffered three gunshot wounds and underwent emergency surgery at a hospital, where he remains in very serious condition.

Police said the attacker is a 24-year-old Polish citizen who acted alone. He wore military-style clothing, a bulletproof vest and a camera to record his actions, and used a military rifle with abundant ammunition. Officers shot him, wounded him and arrested him; he was taken to a hospital, where he remains in custody. More weapons and ammunition were found in his vehicle.

Hours later, police found the bodies of three more people —two women and a man— during a search of the suspect's home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 190 kilometers from Krakow. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there are strong indications that they are close relatives of the attacker, although authorities have not yet officially confirmed their identities or the circumstances of those deaths.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the attacker was fascinated by far-right ideologies and held very radical views. Tusk, who traveled to Krakow and called the attack an act of terrorism, said police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the incident. Krakow Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared a period of mourning in the city until Wednesday, November 11, and President Karol Nawrocki expressed his concern for the victims and their families.

Photo: EFE

Source: El País