Poland has been rocked by a killing spree in the historic centre of Krakow that left six people dead and 15 wounded — in what prosecutors called the country’s first modern day mass shooting. Here is what is known so far about the crime: – Mass shooting -Michal Oksinski, 24, drove his car into Krakow’s Main Market Square — bustling with locals and tourists — on Saturday afternoon and opened fire. Dressed in military garb and carrying an AR-15 rifle, he shot at random into the crowd before a final battle with police. He was shot, wounded and hospitalised. Three more bodies were found at the suspect’s home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, around 150 kilometres (95 miles) northeast of Krakow.
They were revealed to be the gunman’s parents and sister. Police announced Oskinski had died in hospital in the early hours of Monday. – Six dead, 15 wounded – A 32-year-old British man and a 51-year-old Austrian woman were among the dead. The four others killed were three women and one man, all Polish. They included Izabela Wozna, a 47-year-old painter and mother of four, who had come to Krakow for the opening of her exhibition. Among the 15 wounded were nationals from Germany, Portugal, Britain, Austria and Russia.
Two of the wounded were police officers who confronted the gunman. One, Jakub Kulik, has been hailed as the hero of the drama. Social media images showed him shooting and wounding the gunman despite being hit himself. Two of the injured have been discharged from the hospital, said Przemyslaw Nowak, a prosecution spokesman. Seven remain in “non life-threatening” condition, while the rest are in “serious” condition, including two in “critical” condition, he added. – ‘Very, very radical’ – Oksinski had no prior criminal record, according to investigators cited by Polish media. Along with his father, the suspect was a member of a shooting club.
Investigators seized 11 firearms during their search. His paternal grandmother said Oksinski had obtained a gun licence this year, according to Polish media. On Saturday evening, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the evidence at hand indicated Oksinski had “very, very radical views” and “may have been fascinated by far-right ideologies”. He later told private broadcaster TVN24 that he was referring to “initial hypotheses” and that the killer’s motives were unknown. The prosecution office spokesman said Monday that investigators “do not have findings that we could, in a responsible way, categorically state that he was inspired by any particular ideology”.”It is far too early to comment on the motives … We have not found any obvious symbols that are generally associated with a particular political movement, whether far right or far left,” he added.
An interior ministry spokeswoman told Polish radio that the “many emblems and patches” on Oksinski’s clothing were being analysed as part of the investigation. While unverified reports on social media claimed Oksinski was in the Polish military, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz insisted Oksinski was not and had never been in the army. Photos allegedly taken from his social media accounts have provoked online discussions on his ideologies.
But authorities have warned against disinformation and images created or altered using AI. Searches of the shooter’s home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski showed he had a so-called “Gadsden flag” — a historical American yellow flag featuring a rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me”. While this has been used as a symbol of the American right, prosecutors said there was “no obvious connotation”. Prosecutors have launched a terrorim investigation following the killings, which will continue despite Oksinski’s death.
Mon, 09 Nov 2026 14:22:29 GMT