A gunman killed six people in a shooting spree in Krakow’s Old Town on Saturday, according to DW, before he was shot and detained by police. The Krakow shooting has left Poland deeply shaken. On Monday, thousands joined a silent march through central Krakow led by the country’s president and prime minister.
According to DW, the gunman was also suspected of killing three family members before the attack, and he later died in hospital. BBC World reports that local media have named the alleged gunman as 24-year-old Michal Oksinski, who died early on Monday after a shoot-out with police.
BBC World reports that the silent march took place on Monday night. Al Jazeera also reports that the president and prime minister joined the ‘March of Silence’ for the victims. The two leaders are bitter political rivals. Al Jazeera’s account is available only as a headline and a short excerpt, so its details have not been independently checked.
Poland’s national prosecutor’s office announced a formal investigation on Monday, according to DW. The same day, the government announced an urgent review of gun licensing checks, according to BBC World.
BBC World reports that four firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in the alleged killer’s car. The weapons were reportedly owned legally by him and his father.
The question of motive is disputed. BBC World reports that the interior minister initially claimed Oksinski was driven by far-right, extremist views. The national prosecutor’s office now says it is too soon to say he was inspired by any ideology.
The attack has been described as the deadliest in Poland in modern times, and the first mass shooting that many people there can remember.
DW’s fact check found viral AI-generated images of the suspect, a Telegram post with edits made after the attack, and a misidentified photo of an ‘arsenal.’ DW says these were fabricated or misleading.
Several key points rest on single reports or remain unclear. No letter or manifesto has been found, and few people who knew the suspect have spoken publicly. The identities of the British citizen and the Austrian among the dead have not been made public. DW could not independently verify the footage it reviewed. A viral post claiming the suspect was 25 contradicts BBC’s report of 24, and DW mentions this only within a post it debunks, so the age rests on BBC’s report of local media.
The national prosecutor’s office is conducting the formal investigation. The government’s urgent review of weapons-licensing checks includes psychological tests. Officials’ statements on motive, the review and the investigation have no further detail in the available sources.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.