The Malaysian Embassy in Warsaw says it is in contact with Malaysians in Krakow to check on their safety after the Krakow shooting on Saturday (Nov 7), in which a gunman killed six people in the historic centre of the Polish city. Poland’s government has called the attack an act of terrorism, and police said the suspect died in hospital on Monday morning.
The victims were a 32-year-old British man, a 51-year-old Austrian woman and four Poles. About 15 people were wounded, including nationals of Germany, Portugal and Russia, a spokeswoman for Poland’s Interior Ministry said. Two police officers were also hurt, one of them seriously.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Polish man, was critically wounded in a shootout with officers near the city’s Main Market Square. Regional police announced on Monday that he had died in hospital that morning.
Police said the bodies of the suspect’s parents and his 21-year-old sister were found at the family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 150km northeast of Krakow, and they believe he killed nine people in all. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the attack as terrorism and said it was the deadliest shooting in Poland since the end of communism in 1989. The authorities said the suspect had been “fascinated by far-right ideologies”.
The gunman, who was masked and wore military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, left his car at an intersection and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, apparently at random, before firing at police. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said seven firearms were seized from the suspect’s flat and more weapons were found in his car. Investigators said the man had no criminal record and was a member of a shooting club.
The National Prosecutor’s Office has opened a terrorism investigation, and the government declared two days of national mourning from Sunday. The Main Market Square, one of the busiest spots in a city popular with tourists, was cordoned off, and black flags were hung across Krakow.
In a notice posted on social media on Monday, the Malaysian embassy said it was closely monitoring developments and reaching out to the Malaysian community in Krakow. It extended its condolences to the victims, their families and the people of Poland, and said Malaysia stands in solidarity with Poland against such senseless acts of violence.
The embassy did not say whether any Malaysians were among the casualties, and the nationalities of the dead and wounded named by Polish officials so far do not include Malaysians. It urged Malaysians in Poland to register their details with the embassy so that it can contact them and provide consular assistance if needed.
The attack has drawn condolences from around the world. A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Poland.