After the tragedy in Kraków, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced above-standard aid for the victims. The government is also to return to work on, among other things, bills addressing the abuse of freedom on the internet. The police have set up a special group to determine the course of Saturday’s attack and the perpetrator’s motives.
Following Saturday’s attack on the Main Square (Rynek Główny) in Kraków, the government is announcing a review of current procedures on access to firearms. The measures include creating a registry of black-powder weapons and introducing mandatory periodic examinations for all gun owners. Changes to how certain types of firearms are stored are also under consideration.
The government is also to return to work on, among other things, bills addressing the abuse of freedom on the internet. Prime Minister Donald Tusk made the announcement Tuesday. In his view, what is illegal in the real world must also be banned and eliminated in the virtual space. The prime minister also assured that this is not about censorship but about the safety of children and young people.
The head of government declared that the state takes responsibility for providing full assistance to the families of those killed, to the wounded police officers, to the other victims and to their families. He added that all victims will receive above-standard assistance from the state.
Meanwhile, the police have set up a special group of experienced officers to comprehensively establish the course of Saturday’s incident and determine the perpetrator’s motives.
Another special group of officers is to look into the Świętokrzyskie Province angle of the terrorist attack in Kraków. The decision to form it was made by the provincial police commander in Kielce, Inspector General Zbigniew Nowak. The team will verify, among other things, leads concerning the perpetrator’s movements before the attack.
Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała also spoke about changes on Tuesday. In his view, the question of equipping municipal guards with firearms should be considered. He said that although municipal guards were the first on the scene of the attack, they could not confront the assailant because they had no firearms.
Temporary barriers are to be installed overnight Tuesday into Wednesday on the streets leading to the Main Square and the Small Market Square (Mały Rynek) in Kraków.
The heads of the Interior Ministry (MSWiA) and the Justice Ministry (MS) also addressed the question of the attacker on Tuesday. Marcin Kierwiński assured that in the first moments after the tragedy he did not link the perpetrator to any political current in Poland. He added that it is necessary to wait for the investigators’ findings. At the same time, he noted that “the flag itself, which prosecutors spoke about yesterday, is also an indication that everyone should think about.”
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said, in turn, that a suppressor was found in the shooter’s car and that traces of visits to websites about Anders Breivik were found on the attacker’s computer.
He added that investigators also secured the perpetrator’s workplace and that symbolism was found there as well that may point to a right-wing extremism angle.
According to the National Prosecutor’s Office, content was also found on the attacker’s computer indicating his interest in, among other things, serial killers from the United States.
Meanwhile, 13 of the 15 people shot in Saturday’s attack remain in hospitals. Both wounded police officers have been brought out of a medically induced coma. One of them, Artur Morański, was transferred from the Gabriel Narutowicz Municipal Specialist Hospital to the 5th Military Clinical Hospital in Kraków for further treatment of his hand.
Prof. Wojciech Szczeklik of the Military Hospital in Kraków said Tuesday that the 27-year-old officer’s condition is stable but still serious. He faces multistage reconstructive treatment of a severely damaged hand.
It was reported that the condition of all the victims is stable. One person was discharged from the hospital Monday, and a patient from Austria, also in stable condition, was transported to his home country.
An autopsy of the attacker, who had multiple gunshot wounds, was completed Tuesday afternoon. Preliminary autopsy results for the victims confirm that they died of gunshot wounds.
After the tragedy and appeals for blood donations, the stocks at the Blood Donation Center in Kraków quickly filled up. The center said there is currently no risk of a blood shortage but appealed to people with blood type AB Rh+ to sign up to donate plasma and platelets.
The Lithuanian Seimas honored the victims of the attack with a minute of silence on Tuesday. Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas expressed solidarity with Poland and sympathy for the victims’ families.
The city of Kraków has opened three bank accounts for people who want to support the victims of Saturday’s events. Donations can be made in zlotys, euros and dollars.
Karolina Gałecka, spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, said police have already detained nine people in connection with posting disturbing content online after the tragedy in Kraków. She added that police will respond firmly to any posts glorifying the attacker and that their authors must expect consequences.
Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty asked Agnieszka Glapiak, chair of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), on Tuesday to impose a financial penalty on Telewizja Republika. The reason is statements made in the broadcaster’s programs about the attack in Kraków, which, in Czarzasty’s view, violated, among other things, the good name of police officers.
The attack took place Saturday on the Main Square. A 24-year-old man drove a car onto the square and then opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon on random people. Six people were killed and 16 were wounded, including two police officers and the attacker, who died in a hospital early Monday. (PAP)
