Icelandic ambassador says Poland is reeling after Kraków attack

Poles have been deeply shaken by an attack in Kraków that left six people dead and 15 injured, Iceland’s ambassador to Poland, Friðrik Jónsson, told mbl.is.

A 24-year-old man, identified as Michal Oksinski, drove into a busy square on Saturday and opened fire. Before the attack, he had killed his parents and sister. The attack is being investigated as terrorism, and Poland declared two days of national mourning.

Jónsson said the country had shown strong solidarity in the aftermath, although some people on the political fringes had tried to use the events to their advantage. Poland’s culture minister filed a formal complaint against a far-right television station over what Jónsson described as deeply offensive material published after the attack.

The ambassador was near Warsaw’s main railway station when news of the attack broke at about 4pm on Saturday. He said police were highly visible and alert. People were also worried about the injured, particularly two officers who tried to stop the attacker.

A fundraising campaign for the officers had raised close to 200 million Icelandic krónur, Jónsson said. A separate blood drive was organised for one officer, who has a rare blood type. The response filled blood banks with donations.

The two days of mourning began on Sunday and continued on Monday. Jónsson said it remained to be seen whether the national holiday on Wednesday, November 11, would be affected. An opposition leader had called for planned protest marches to be postponed out of consideration for the circumstances.

All businesses in Kraków were closed on Saturday, and the area around the square did not reopen until about 6pm on Sunday. Jónsson said he saw no reason for people to avoid travelling to Poland, describing the attack as an isolated act by one man.