Poland mourns victims of mass shooting as gunman’s far-right links examined

Poland has begun two days of national mourning after six people were killed and 15 others were wounded when a gunman opened fire in a busy central square in Krakow.

The attack, which Poland’s defence minister described as an “act of terror”, happened on Saturday in Main Square, which is in the heart of Krakow’s Old Town and is a major tourist hub in the country’s second-largest city.

By evening, mourners had left candles in memory of the victims. The square remained partially closed on Sunday morning as authorities continued their investigation.

Authorities also found three dead bodies at the 24-year-old suspected gunman’s family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 93 miles north-east of Krakow. Police said on Sunday they were the bodies of his sister, mother and father, and they are believed to have been shot.

Four women and two men were killed in the Main Square shooting. At least three of the women were Polish, and one of the victims was British.

The attacker was shot and injured by police, with the two officers who stopped him, in actions authorities hailed as heroic, remaining in hospital. One is in a critical condition, prompting officials to launch an appeal for blood donations.

Among the wounded are five people from outside Poland, with officials saying they are from the UK, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria.

Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running away from the square to take cover on small streets nearby as the attack unfolded, as well as first responders trying to resuscitate victims.

In one video, a police officer is seen repeatedly shooting the attacker, who is lying on the street, only to later slowly collapse to the ground himself.

On the attacker, Polish interior minister Marcin Kierwinski said he holds “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views.

“Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Mr Kierwinski said.