Krakow shooting suspect dies in hospital after killing six

A gunman suspected of killing six people in Krakow has died in hospital, police in Poland said early on Monday.

The suspect, a 24-year-old Polish man, had been wounded in a shootout with police and was in critical condition in hospital.

“We would like to inform you that the perpetrator of the tragic events died in hospital early this morning,” Malopolska Policja wrote on X.

Polish prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation after the man opened fire in a busy market square on Saturday afternoon, killing six people and injuring 17. Authorities said the attack was probably inspired by far-right ideologies.

Karolina Galecka, an interior ministry spokeswoman, told radio TOK FM: “There were many different emblems on the perpetrator’s clothing that have been partially examined and interpreted.”

“These patches were associated with various motifs that are currently being analysed by specialists,” she added, declining to comment further as the investigation was ongoing.

Police confirmed on Sunday that three people found dead at the gunman’s home were his father, 53, mother, 52, and sister, 21.

The national prosecutor’s office said it had launched an investigation into “the killing of six people … using a firearm, and the attempted murder of many others, including police officers, this act constituting a terrorist offence”.

Two days of national mourning began after the attack. Four women and two men were killed, with local officials saying three of the women and one man were Polish. The other man was British, while the nationality of the fourth woman remains unknown.

Five foreign nationals from the UK, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria were among the wounded.

Local police have launched a blood appeal for officer Jakub Kulik, who is fighting for his life in hospital. The force said the senior constable had confronted the armed attacker and suffered serious injuries.

Sources

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