Poles mourn rare mass killing as authorities say attacker had far-right views

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday, after a 24-year-old man with far-right views drove into a busy central square in Krakow and opened fire, killing six people and wounding 15 others before police shot and wounded him.

The attack, which Poland’s defense minister described as an “act of terror,” happened on Saturday in Main Square, which is in the heart of Krakow’s Old Town and is a major tourist hub in the country’s second-largest city.

By evening, mourners had left candles in memory of the victims. The square remained partially closed on Sunday morning as authorities continued their investigation.

Authorities also found three dead bodies at the man’s family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, a city about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of Krakow. The police said on Sunday they were the bodies of the attacker’s sister, mother and father.

The family members likely died from gunshot wounds, the police said.

Four women and two men were killed in the Main Square shooting. At least three of the women were Polish, and one of the dead was a U.K. citizen, authorities said.

The two police officers who stopped the attacker, in actions authorities hailed as heroic, remain in hospital. One is in critical condition, prompting officials to launch an appeal for blood donations.

Five non-Poles are among the wounded. They come from the U.K., Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria.

The mass killing marks a grim first for Poland

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the attacker holds “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views.

“Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński said at a news conference.

Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running away from the square to take cover on small streets nearby, as well as first responders trying to resuscitate victims. In one video, a police officer is seen repeatedly shooting the attacker, who is lying on the street, only to later slowly collapse to the ground himself.

Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children. The young attackers used knives or other sharp objects.

Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.

The Krakow attacker’s military gear, guns and overall look were similar to those of other “extreme right lone actors” committing attacks around Europe, said 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.”

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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland.