The attack began at 15:00 yesterday, Wednesday, in Kraków’s central market square, when the gunman drove his car into a crowd of tourists and opened “random” fire. Security forces arrived at the scene within three minutes and, following an exchange of gunfire, managed to wound and arrest the attacker.
Four women and two men were killed in the attack, one of them a British national. Another 16 people were injured, including nationals of Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia, as well as two police officers, one of whom is in unstable condition. Police also found the bodies of three other people after searching the suspect’s home in the city of Ostrowiec.
The suspect is a 25-year-old Polish man described as an “extreme nationalist.” A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was found in his car. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack “a brutal act” and declared three days of mourning in Kraków.
The incident prompted widespread international reaction. Leaders from Britain, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine strongly condemned the attack and expressed their sympathy for the people of Poland.
