Krakow mass shooter dies as political dispute over motives builds

A gunman who killed six people in central Krakow on Saturday in an unprecedented Polish mass shooting died in hospital on Monday, as shock and grief at the loss of life mixed with ‌an increasingly bitter political dispute over his motives.

Very little information has come out about the shooter, who was shot by police officers and arrested minutes after he opened fire at people from his car in Krakow's historic main square. The government had said the assailant, identified by prosecutors as Michal Oksinski, a 24-year-old from the town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski in southeastern Poland, may have been inspired by far-right ideology, ‌without providing further details.

DISPUTE OVER KILLER'S MOTIVES The nationalist opposition criticised that statement, with Law & Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski saying those claims were a "blatant lie".

National Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak told a press ‌conference on Monday that investigators did not yet know what motivated the killer. He said that a yellow flag with a snake and the words "Don't tread on me" on it, known as the Gadsden flag, was found in his room.

The Gadsden flag was first used during the American Revolution in the 18th century. Nowak said the flag was associated with "various meanings related to freedom or rebellion" but was not widely known as being linked to any form of extremism. An interior ministry ⁠spokesperson said ​earlier on Monday that there were many different emblems ⁠on the perpetrator’s clothing that had already been partially examined and interpreted.

On Monday, government officials appeared to backtrack from the initial comments about a far-right motive. "Until the matter is fully clarified and the authorities are in possession of complete information, ⁠it is best to refrain from making comments, even if there are some initial indications," government spokesperson Adam Szlapka told TVN24.

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said on Monday that despite the death of the shooter, the investigation will continue, ​aiming to establish if he acted alone or was inspired by any group. "Evidence is being collected, but I will not show or disclose it. I ask for restraint," Zurek ⁠told Radio Zet.

NATION IN SHOCK Poland had never experienced such a mass shooting and scenes of blood and bodies strewn across the historic heart of one of its main tourist attractions shocked a nation that has long viewed itself as safer than ⁠Western ​European neighbours that have witnessed such attacks in the past.

"A total of four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition were discovered in the vehicle and in the possession of Michał Oksiński," Nowak said. "We secured a very large number of spent casings. In total, at least several dozen shots were fired — possibly even several hundred."

Nowak said the two police officers injured in the attack had ⁠regained consciousness. Fifteen people injured in the attack remain in hospitals. The condition of 14 is stable, while the police officer who took part in apprehending the attacker remains in a serious condition, Krakow ⁠Province Governor Krzysztof Kleczar told reporters.

The government will ⁠review regulations on requirements for people with gun permits following the tragedy, Zurek said. Both the shooter and his father had gun permits and several firearms have been found in the family apartment and the assailant's car, prosecutors said.

The bodies of his father, mother and sister were found in their ‌family home on Saturday, and ‌officials say they were also likely killed by Oksiński.