Nine people are dead and 15 injured after a Polish gunman launched a series of assaults in the southern city of Krakow, leading authorities to declare it a terrorist attack motivated by extremist right-wing views.
The man is suspected of killing three people in his family home before driving to the historic square in central Krakow and opening fire on the crowd during a busy Saturday afternoon.
Police responded within minutes by wounding the shooter and detaining him, but the assault left two officers wounded and one of them was described as fighting for his life.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the attacks as terrorism and said the country had not seen such a drastic terror attack before.
Tusk named the officers as Senior Constable Jakub Kulik and Senior Constable Artur Morański, calling them heroes.
“They likely saved many lives, without regard for the risk of losing their own. Their condition is serious, but they are receiving excellent care,” he said.
The bodies of two women and a man were found at the home of the gunman after he had been detained, Tusk told reporters at a press conference on Saturday night (early Sunday, AEDT).
The final attack took place in the city’s Main Square, one of the most-visited locations in the city in the heart of the Old Town.
The gunman, 25, drove to multiple locations in the pedestrian square and opened fire at each stop with an automatic weapon, killing four women and two men.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the man held “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views, but authorities did not release his name.
“Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński said at a news conference.
The police said a British national was among those killed and five foreign nationals were among the wounded.
Those injured in the attack include three police officers.
“The police responded instantly, and the officers showed courage and extraordinary dedication,” said Tusk.
“Three were injured, and one is fighting for his life. They need our prayers, solidarity, and full support.”
The number of those injured is 16 when the gunman is included. He was described as wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest, and used a military-type gun, Krakow police said. Police found many other weapons and ammunition in his car. He kept firing at the police even after being shot.
Krakow mayor Łukasz Gibała said the city will be in official mourning until Wednesday. He vowed that Krakow will remain open to visitors despite the tragedy.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children.
Krakow is the second-largest city in Poland and roughly 250 kilometres from the capital, Warsaw. Around 15 million tourists visit Krakow annually, the majority passing through the Main Square.
The Portuguese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that a Portuguese woman was among the injured and was in hospital, without providing more details.
This masthead has sought comment from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about whether any Australians were involved.
Police said they started to receive reports at around 3pm local time in Krakow (1am on Sunday, AEDT) that an assailant had opened fire from a car and had shot randomly at people in the square, a popular tourist destination known for its horse-drawn carriages, stores and restaurants.
Unverified footage shared on social media and seen by Reuters showed people fleeing the scene as shots rang out and police sirens blared. Other video showed two people lying on bloodstained paving stones and bystanders trying to resuscitate them. A third person lay motionless on the ground nearby.
“I saw shots being fired from the driver’s side window, and smoke was coming out. I ran to the police station in the main market square; when I burst inside, it was full of people hiding on the floor,” a man who gave his name only as Konrad, and witnessed the shooting, told news website Interia.
A 67-year-old man called Julek told Reuters that he saw a dark car appear suddenly before the driver started shooting at a group of people and drove off.
“If we had been two minutes earlier, we might have been shot,” he said.
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