Poland plans silent march after Krakow mass shooting that shocked the nation

Poland's president and prime minister will take part in a silent march through Krakow on Monday evening as the country tries to come to terms with an unprecedented mass shooting, in which a Polish man killed six people on the southern city's main square.

Relations between Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol ‌Nawrocki are tense, but they appear to want a display of national unity over an incident that has shocked Poland and left rival political camps bitterly disputing the killer's motives. The suspected gunman died in hospital on Monday after being shot and arrested by police minutes after they said he opened fire from his car in Krakow's historic main square, a popular tourist destination.

The government said the man, identified by prosecutors as 24-year-old Michal Oksinski from the southeastern town ‌of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, may have been inspired by far-right ideology. But officials appeared to back track on Monday. "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.

Both the shooter and his father held gun permits and several firearms were 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 Oksinski.

DISPUTE OVER KILLER'S MOTIVES The nationalist opposition rejected the suggestion of a far-right link to the killings, with Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski saying those claims were ⁠a "blatant lie".

National Prosecutor's ​Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak told a press conference 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. Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there were many different emblems on the perpetrator's clothing ​that had already been partially examined and interpreted.

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said despite the death of the shooter, the investigation would 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.

Poland's Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) said it had detained five Polish citizens and one Ukrainian aged 15 to 36 who had posted threatening or alarming content online following ⁠the ​attack. Galecka said the CBZC and the police were on high alert for potential copycats.

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

"A total of four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition were discovered in ⁠the vehicle and in the possession of Michal Oksinski," 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. Tusk wrote on ⁠X that on waking up police officer Artur Moranski's first words were "Is Kuba alive?" - referring to fellow injured officer Jakub Kulik.

Fifteen people injured in the attack remain in hospital. Fourteen are in stable condition, while a 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.