Mass Shooting in Krakow Leaves Nine Dead Amid Extremism Investigation

A mass shooting in Krakow’s Main Market Square has resulted in the deaths of six people and left at least 15 others wounded. The 24-year-old gunman, identified as Michał Oksiński, opened fire on Saturday afternoon while wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest. Police engaged the suspect shortly after the attack began, wounding him during an exchange of gunfire that also left two officers injured. Oksiński later died in the hospital following surgery.

Following the attack, authorities discovered three additional bodies at the suspect's family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, bringing the total death toll to nine. While investigators are still determining the circumstances of the deaths at the residence, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński stated that the suspect appeared to be influenced by radical far-right ideologies. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has characterized the event as an act of terror.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his sorrow regarding the tragedy in a telegram sent to the Archbishop of Krakow, offering prayers for the victims and their families. The pontiff invoked the intercession of the Virgin Mary and called for the pursuit of peace and harmony in the wake of the violence.