🇵🇱 Krakow shooter dies in hospital as prosecutors find no evidence for far-right narrative
Michał O., the 24-year-old who killed six people on Krakow's Main Market Square on Saturday, died in hospital early this morning, Lesser Poland police announced. He had been in critical condition since being shot by police during his arrest and underwent several surgeries.
Polish prosecutors now say they have no evidence of any ideological basis for the attack. "We currently have no evidence on the basis of which we could responsibly and categorically state that the attacker was inspired by any particular ideology," said Przemysław Nowak, spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutors did not confirm the claims of Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, who said shortly after the attack that there were signs the shooter was enthusiastic about far-right ideologies and held radical ultra-nationalist views. Western media had already run with the far-right narrative on the strength of that remark, with no evidence behind it.
According to Nowak, dozens and possibly hundreds of bullets were fired. Four weapons were found on the shooter and in his car, two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles and two pistols, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
The investigation will continue, focusing on his motive and whether anyone helped him. According to TVP, he left no note or document explaining the attack, either on him or in his car. With his death, investigators lost their only chance to question him.
Both police officers who stopped him have woken from their comas.