A gunman who killed six people in central Krakow on Saturday in an unprecedented Polish mass shooting died in hospital on Monday, as national shock and grief gave way to an increasingly bitter dispute over his motives.
Very little information has come out about the shooter, who was shot and arrested by police minutes after opening fire 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.
The nationalist opposition criticised that statement, 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 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.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there were many different emblems on the perpetrator’s clothing that had already been partially examined and interpreted.
On Monday, government officials appeared to row back on suggestions of 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 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.
Galecka said Poland’s Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) had detained five individuals after finding posts glorifying Oksinski’s actions.
“Following the attack in Krakow, the CBZC and the police are on high alert for potential copycats,” she said.
