UN Secretary-General shocked by massacre in Krakow

O secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, today expressed himself “deeply shocked and saddened” by the massacre perpetrated on Saturday in Krakow, Poland, which caused six deaths and 16 wounded.

António Guterres “has firmly condemned this act of senseless violence and expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Polish Government and people,” said his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, in a statement.

According to the authorities, the perpetrator of the attack is a 24-year-old Pole “fascinated” by the ideas of the far right, suspected of causing a total of nine deaths, after the bodies of the parents and sister were found in the family residence, with injuries caused by gunshots.

Following the shooting in the historic centre of Krakow, the Polish Public Prosecutor announced today the opening of an investigation for an act of “terrorist character”.

The prosecutors will investigate, among other crimes, the murder of the six people, considered a terrorist action, and the death of three others in the residence of the alleged shooter in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, according to an official statement.

The governor of the province of Small Poland, Krzysztof Jan Klęczar, indicated that four of the six victims are Polish, one is British, and the sixth is also foreign.

These are four women and two men, aged between 32 and 61.

Among the 16 wounded are 11 Polish citizens and five foreigners, including a 74-year-old Portuguese woman, who has been operated and is hospitalized, but free of danger, according to the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The state of health of 14 injured is stable, while one is in serious and one is in critical condition, the latter being the alleged perpetrator of the attack, shot by the police when trying to escape in an automobile.

The suspect was submitted to several surgeries and remains in critical condition, while the two police officers who managed to intercept him are also in serious condition.

The attack took place in the historic area of Krakow, when the suspect opened indiscriminately against people on the street, and was later intercepted by the police.

Authorities indicated that the suspect acted alone and was fascinated by far-right ideologies, defending radical positions, having found other weapons and a large amount of ammunition in his car.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Saturday two days of national mourning, today and Monday, and classified the attack as “an act of terrorism”, stating that Poland had never recorded a case of that nature and gravity.

For his part, the Polish President, Karol Nawrocki, expressed “a great concern” about what happened and asked for clarification on the circumstances of the attack, stressing that citizens’ security is an absolute priority.