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At least six people were killed and sixteen injured in a shooting near the main market square in the southern Polish city of Krakow on Saturday.
The perpetrator, a 25-year-old Polish man who acted alone, was wounded during an exchange of fire with police, authorities said.
“Until now in Poland we haven’t had such drastic cases of terrorism,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Krakow.
“That’s what we have to call this cruel attack on people’s lives here in Krakow,” he added.
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Shooter aimed at random people, police say
According to Krakow police, the gunman aimed at random people as he drove by the city’s main square, which is a popular tourist attraction.
“At around 3 pm (1400 GMT), a man who had driven into the market square in a car began shooting at random people from inside the vehicle,” police said on X, adding officers were among the wounded.
“The perpetrator was shot by police officers and is currently being transported to a hospital,” police said.
Later Saturday evening, Polish police chief Marek Boron said a British citizen was among those killed.
“There are six fatalities: four women and two men; three Polish women, one British national, and two people who have not yet been identified,” Boron told reporters.
Shooter fascinated by ‘far-right’ views
According to Katarzyna Cislo, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, the shooter wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a long gun in the attack.
Numerous other weapons and ammunition were found in the gunman’s car.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said that the shooter was “fascinated by far-right ideologies” and held “very radical views.”
Kierwinski also told reporters that five of the sixteen people injured in the shooting were non-Polish nationals.
He said one of those killed was a foreign national.
Polish PM Tusk calls for 2 days of mourning
Polish Prime Minister Tusk posted to X that police were investigating the attack and called it a “tragic” incident.
Tusk later said Poland would observe two days of mourning for the victims of the shooting.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki wrote on X that his thoughts were with the victims and wounded, as well as their families.
‘Poland does not stand alone,’ European politicians show support
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the shooting was a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland, adding that “Poland does not stand alone.”
“I am deeply saddened by the events in Krakow. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X, adding that “Germany stands alongside Poland as a friend and partner during these difficult times.”
Krakow is located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
With a population of over 800,000, Krakow is Poland’s second-largest city, as well as a popular tourist destination.
