By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
In the wake of last weekend’s mass shooting in Krakow, Poland, the media was quick to allege the killer, who was taken down by the police, was linked to far-right extremism, and officials in the European nation are also reportedly “reviewing” gun permit requirements.
But by Monday, according to the Daily Mail, Polish prosecutors were backing away from that claim, acknowledging there was no evidence that the gunman, identified as 24-year-old Michal Oksinski from the southeastern town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski. Still, reports from CNN, NBC and the Associated Press had already all specifically reported that Oksinski was somehow connected to the far-right, apparently based on an early suggestion from Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the shooter was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held “very radical views.”
As noted by NBC News, Oksinski murdered at least six people including four women and two men before responding police officers fatally shot him. He died at a hospital.
According to Balkan Insight, the six fatalities included “three Polish women aged 47, 53 and 61, a Polish man of about 50, a 32-year-old British citizen and a 51-year-old Austrian woman.”
Fifteen others were wounded, including five foreign nationals from Austria, Portugal, Germany, Britain and Russia. Investigators are still trying to establish a motive.
Reports say Oksinski may have also murdered members of his own family.
Reuters has also reported that the Polish government will review gun permit requirements. The killer apparently legally owned, the news agency reported. Both the killer and his father had gun permits, and authorities have recovered several firearms from the family home and from Oksinski’s vehicle.
In a separate report, Reuters is now saying investigators have found that the dead gunman had “visited websites about Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivi.” And some officials are sticking with the assertion the killer had somehow been influenced by right-wing extremism.
Reuters is reporting that “Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek told Radio Krakow that there was ‘a very strong indication of right-wing extremism’ being behind the actions of the suspect.”
However, Balkan Insight maintains that searches “had uncovered no evidence of active political or extremist involvement,” by the gunman. That news agency also said Interior Minister Kierwinski’s assertions about right-wing influence had drawn criticism from right-wing lawmakers.
The incident did underscore one fact that U.S. anti-gunners often take pains to avoid, that mass shootings are not just an occurrence in this country.
