Krakow market gunman kills six; police say he was a far-right cadet

A 25-year-old military cadet opened fire in a crowded Krakow market on Saturday afternoon, killing six people and wounding 15 before a police officer shot him at close range. Police in the Polish city identified him locally as Michal O, a Polish citizen who was dressed in military-style gear and wearing a bulletproof vest. District prosecutor Tomasz Waszczuk said the victims appear to have been chosen at random, confirming six fatalities and adding that more than a dozen injured people were in hospital.

The gunman fired from a black Subaru at a tram, pedestrians and two horses at about 3pm local time, according to police. Four women and two men were killed, including one British citizen, and five foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain were among the wounded. Police officer Andrzej Fijolek told TVN 24 the shooter used an AR-15 rifle and held a firearms licence; more weapons and ammunition were found inside the vehicle.

Interior minister Marcin Kierwinski said the attacker was “fascinated by Far-Right ideologies” and held “very radical views.” Defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz countered that he was not a soldier and had no connection to the military, despite the combat clothing and weaponry. Kierwinski said the suspect's father owned several firearms, and investigators believe the weapons came from the family home.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that two women and a man were also found dead at the suspect's home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 150km north-east of Krakow. They are believed to be his parents and sister, though authorities have not publicly established how they died. The suspect had driven roughly 80 miles from the city where he lived and studied as a cadet at a military school.

Two officers who took him down, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, are fighting for their lives in hospital; Tusk labelled them “true heroes.” The suspect was shot and neutralised at close range and is in serious condition in hospital. Neighbours described him as a “polite, quiet guy,” with one telling Polish media: “We can't say anything bad about him.”