A 24-year-old factory worker, identified as Michal Oksinski, has been confirmed dead following a shooting spree in Krakow's main square that left six people dead on Saturday. According to Poland's Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, Oksinski had visited websites related to Norwegian white supremacist Anders Behring Breivik, who was responsible for a series of attacks in Norway in 2011 that resulted in the death of 81 people. Zurek highlighted a "very strong indication of right-wing extremism" behind Oksinski's actions, and investigators found a Gadsden flag, often associated with US far-right groups, among his possessions. The suspect's parents and sister were also found dead in their family home on Saturday, and it is believed they were killed by Oksinski. This incident has sparked controversy, with Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski initially stating that the gunman was influenced by far-right ideology, a claim that has been disputed by some politicians, including Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the right-wing PiS party.
In July 2011, Breivik carried out a series of attacks in Norway, detonating a car bomb in Oslo and then shooting and killing 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoeya island. The Polish government's attribution of Oksinski's actions to right-wing extremism has been met with criticism from some members of the PiS party, including Michal Wojcik, who accuses representatives of the Polish government of dishonesty towards the international community. Justice Minister Zurek remains firm in his stance, but has expressed a willingness to wait for the findings of the investigators before making any definitive statements.
WHO: Michal Oksinski, a 24-year-old factory worker from Poland; Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian white supremacist responsible for attacks in Norway in 2011
WHAT: A shooting spree in Krakow's main square that left six people dead; research into the ideology of Norwegian white supremacist Anders Behring Breivik
WHEN: The shooting took place on Saturday, November 7; Breivik's attacks occurred in July 2011
WHERE: Krakow, Poland; Oslo and Utoeya island, Norway
WHY: It is believed that Oksinski was influenced by right-wing extremism, as indicated by his research into the ideology of Anders Behring Breivik and the presence of a Gadsden flag among his possessions. The motives behind Breivik's attacks remain a subject of political dispute.