The perpetrator of the Krakow massacre is dead. The Polish police announced this. The attacker was in critical condition after undergoing several surgeries and was hospitalized under surveillance. "We inform you that the perpetrator of the tragic events died this morning in hospital", the police of the Lesser Poland voivodeship (in the south of the country), of which Krakow is the capital, communicated on X. The news was also confirmed by the manager of Lesser Poland, Krzysztof Klęczar, to TVN24. “At 4:30 in the morning, the perpetrator of the attack died in one of the hospitals in Krakow,” Klęczar said. He also added that "the conditions of the other injured - 15 are currently hospitalized in six hospitals in Krakow - remain unchanged".
What happened
On the afternoon of Saturday 7 November, the 25-year-old extremist entered the Market Square in Krakow in a car full of ammunition and, after shooting at pedestrians in Slawkowska Street, headed towards the area between Dietla and Stradomia streets. Along the way, he shot at a tram in Piazza di Ognissanti. According to what the police gathered, during the attack the man was wearing a military uniform and fired an AR-15 rifle, a very common weapon among shooters. Six people died and 15 were injured after shots were fired into the crowd. Three other bodies were found at the killer's house: the 53-year-old father, the 52-year-old mother and the 20-year-old sister. As explained by the police, the victims had gunshot wounds. Among those affected were also two police officers who rushed to the scene of the shooting. Meanwhile, the Krakow Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation: investigators have seized a significant quantity of ammunition and seven firearms.
In-depth analysis
Polish, 25 years old and in camouflage, what do we know about the Krakow killer
The victims and the injured
A 51-year-old Austrian woman, a 32-year-old British citizen, three Polish women aged 47, 53 and 61 and a Polish man aged around 50: these are the six victims of the massacre, according to the toll provided by the governor of the Lesser Poland region, Krzysztof Jan Keczar, during a press conference, as reported by the Polish portal Interia. Among those hospitalized are the two policemen who stopped the attacker: both were awakened from a medically induced coma after surgery, as confirmed by the spokesman for the Krakow District Attorney's Office, Tomasz Waszczuk. One of the two officers remains in serious condition. In total, sixteen people are hospitalized, including the attacker: fourteen are in stable condition, two are serious. The husband of the Austrian victim is also among the injured.
The appeal to donate blood for the "hero policeman"
Appeal by Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek for blood donation for the "hero policeman" who stopped the attacker. "The officer faced an armed attacker without hesitation, he is fighting for his life in hospital. He has a compromised lung and needs every single drop of blood. AB Rh+ blood is needed," Zurek said on X. Another officer, who with his colleague arrested the attacker, was also injured. "If it hadn't been for them, the death toll from the massacre that took place in Krakow would have been unimaginable. They faced a terrorist armed with an automatic weapon, returned fire and stopped the killer by shielding themselves with their bodies. One of them is fighting between life and death in hospital, after being hit by three bullets; the other was also injured. A heroism without boundaries," Zurek wrote on social media.
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Italian students returned
Meanwhile, the students and companions of the "Ugo Foscolo" high school in Albano Laziale who on Saturday were at the scene of the shooting that took place in the Market Square in Krakow have returned to Albano. The boys arrived this morning in the town near Rome on a bus trip. Among others waiting for them in Piazza Zampetti were the mayor of Albano Laziale Massimo Ferrarini and the head teacher of the "Ugo Foscolo" high school Adele Bottiglieri.
The Pope: "Sorrowful for the victims"
Pope Leo The Pontiff "intercedes for the gift of Christian hope for grieving families and unites with all those experiencing these days of pain". Finally, we read in the telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope "assures his prayers".
