The suspected terrorist accused of killing six people at a busy Polish market after allegedly murdering members of his own family has been identified as a 25-year-old military cadet. He is believed to have attended a military school around 80 miles from Krakow, where the shooting took place.
The gunman, wearing military-style clothing and reportedly fixated on Nazi ideology, killed four women and two men, including a British national, during Saturday’s attack.
Fifteen people were also injured when the attacker drove a black Subaru into Krakow’s historic Main Market Square at about 3pm local time. He then opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle at a tram, pedestrians and two horses.
The rampage ended when a police officer who had already been shot three times moved towards the vehicle and fired at the suspect from close range. The officer then collapsed after suffering his own injuries.
The suspect, locally named as Michal O, is a Polish citizen and is thought to have been a cadet at a military school roughly 80 miles from Krakow. He survived the shooting and remains in hospital.
On Saturday evening, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed that two women and a man had also been found dead at the suspect’s home. They are believed to be his parents and sister.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the attacker had been “fascinated by Far-Right ideologies” and held “very radical views”.
Neighbours described the news as deeply shocking. “He was polite and quiet. We cannot say anything bad about him,” residents of the apartment building said, adding that his behaviour had never caused them concern.
Footage from the suspected terror attack in Krakow appeared to show the alleged gunman’s face. He has been identified locally as Michal O
The suspect is believed to have driven a black Subaru into Krakow’s Main Market Square before opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle. Police are pictured examining the vehicle
Security officers and police outside the suspect’s home in south-eastern Poland, where members of his family were found dead
Video appeared to show a police officer confronting a person believed to be the shooter, who was wearing green military-style clothing, before firing several shots and collapsing
“He was just an ordinary man. He would walk around with his hood up and say ‘good morning’. I cannot say a bad word about him,” another neighbour told Polish media.
The officer who confronted the gunman underwent emergency surgery and was described as being in a “very critical” condition. A second policeman who was shot was also reportedly fighting for his life, alongside several other victims.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański “true heroes”. Both officers remained in critical condition in hospital, although Mr Tusk did not specify which of them had approached the suspect’s car.
Distressing footage from the square showed women crying beside the victims as blood spread across the paving stones. In other scenes, people performed CPR on unconscious casualties while additional officers rushed to the area.
Unverified social media videos appeared to capture the gunfire as traditional horse-drawn carriages, a familiar sight for tourists, moved through the square or stood nearby. One man was seen seeking shelter inside a restaurant or café.
Poland’s Interior Ministry said the five foreign nationals injured in the attack were from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain.
The military confirmed that the suspect was not a serving soldier. The fatigues and bulletproof vests he wore were described as “self-assembled” rather than official military equipment.
Investigators found a substantial collection of weapons in the Subaru’s boot, including a DB carbine, a P99 pistol, a Glock pistol and a Chinese-made bulletproof vest. Some of the weapons reportedly belonged to the suspect, while others were registered to his father, whose name was also on the vehicle documents.
The suspect had no known criminal record.
Mr Tusk said: “My deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of those killed in this tragic attack in Krakow. I offer my highest praise to the heroic police officers who acted while putting their own lives at risk.
“I urgently appeal to politicians of every persuasion not to exploit this tragedy. We will establish all the circumstances surrounding this crime.”
Tomasz Waszczuk, from the city’s district prosecutor’s office, said: “Everything indicates that he fired at random people. I can confirm that there are six fatalities.
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“More than a dozen people suffered injuries of varying severity and are currently receiving treatment in hospital.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “shocked and saddened by the appalling shooting” and sent his thoughts to those affected.
“The United Kingdom stands in solidarity with the people of Poland,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The UK Government deeply mourns the British national and the other victims who died following the appalling attack in Krakow.
“My deepest condolences go to the families of everyone who lost their lives.”
Police officers and fire crews near Krakow’s Main Market Square after the shooting
People shelter inside a shop near the main square, where shattered glass could be seen across the floor
An air ambulance in the square following the attack, which killed six people and injured at least 16, including two police officers
Jonny Daniels, a 40-year-old London-based guide who leads Holocaust education tours, had left the square with a group of 30 tourists, including three Britons, just five minutes before the shooting began.
The group had been heading towards the Krakow ghettos, where Jewish people were imprisoned during the Holocaust.
“We were extremely lucky. If we had stayed a little longer, we would have been caught in it. Some of us would definitely have been shot,” he said.
The group had been scheduled to return to the area the following day.
President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, those injured and their families.
He said he was “deeply concerned” and awaiting “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these tragic events”.
Mass shootings are rare in Poland. However, three knife attacks at schools took place within four days last month, leaving a woman dead and several children among those injured.
Mr Tusk said at the time that the incidents were linked to the “glorification of violence” online, but added: “We are not dealing with any large-scale organised group.”
An anti-government demonstration had been due to take place at 2pm local time in Matejki Place, close to the market square, before the shooting.
Poland is also facing a constitutional dispute over the appointment of judges to its highest court, an issue that has deepened tensions between the nationalist president and the pro-European government.
Earlier this year, Mr Nawrocki refused to swear in judges nominated by the Polish parliament’s majority, which is led by Mr Tusk, the former president of the European Council.
Mr Tusk’s coalition promised to reform the court after taking office in 2023. The administration accused the nationalist Law and Justice party, known as PiS, of filling the bench with its own nominees and drawing international criticism over its approach to the rule of law.
Mr Nawrocki, who was backed by PiS, has since blocked efforts to appoint new judges. Their access was also restricted by the tribunal’s president, Bogdan Swieczkowski.
Last week, Mr Nawrocki returned from a trip to Africa following reports that the tribunal’s longest-serving judge, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, had suspended Mr Swieczkowski and assumed control herself.
Police have guarded the court since last Friday, as hundreds of demonstrators gathered to demand Mr Swieczkowski’s reinstatement.