Krakow Shooting: Poland Declares Two Days of National Mourning

Prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation after nine people were killed and 16 wounded in an attack that included a shooting in the city’s historic center and the discovery of three bodies at the suspected gunman’s family home. The victims include the 24-year-old suspect’s parents and sister

Poland is mourning nine people killed in a mass shooting in Krakow and in the discovery of three bodies at the family home of the suspected gunman. The country’s president, Karol Nawrocki, has declared two days of national mourning, Sunday and Monday, as prosecutors investigate the attack as a terrorist crime.

The investigation now encompasses two scenes: the shooting in the historic center of Krakow, where six people were killed, and an apartment in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, where police found the bodies of the suspect’s father, mother and sister. The 24-year-old is suspected of killing his three relatives before opening fire in the city square.

Police confirmed Sunday that the bodies found at the apartment belonged to a 53-year-old man, a 52-year-old woman and their 20-year-old daughter. All three appear to have been shot, Andrzej Fijołek, a police spokesman, told TVN24.

The National Prosecutor’s Office has formally opened an investigation into the attack. In a statement posted on social media, prosecutors said they were examining the killing of six people with a firearm and the attempted murder of numerous others, including police officers. The conduct, they said, constitutes a terrorist offense.

Investigators are also trying to establish the ideological background of the 24-year-old, who has been described as close to far-right extremist positions. The inquiry into his possible motives remains ongoing.

The toll from the shooting in Krakow includes 16 injured people. Five are foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain, according to Gazeta Wyborcza, citing information from Poland’s Interior and Administration Ministry reported by Reuters.

Two police officers were wounded during the response. One, Sgt. Jakub Kulik, was hit by three bullets and sustained particularly serious injuries.

The attack has prompted mourning measures both nationally and in Krakow. Nawrocki’s two-day declaration covers Sunday and Monday, Nov. 9. In the city, Mayor Łukasz Gibała has ordered a period of mourning through Nov. 11.

Among those caught up in the attack were students and chaperones from the Ugo Foscolo high school in Albano Laziale, Italy, who were in the area Saturday. They are expected to return to Italy Sunday morning by bus after choosing to leave as soon as possible. No seats were available on scheduled flights, so the group arranged alternative transportation with the agency that organized the trip.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with the teachers and students, offering encouragement and assuring them that Italian diplomatic officials had followed their situation during the emergency. “We will stay with you until your departure. We hope this terrible chapter will soon be behind you,” he said. “Yesterday, the Foreign Ministry and Italian diplomats in Poland did everything possible to get you to safety.”

(Photo: © AndKronos)