The UAE has strongly condemned the shooting incident in the main square in Poland’s Krakow, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) reiterated the UAE’s strong condemnation of such criminal acts and its firm rejection of all forms of violence and extremism aimed at undermining security and stability.
The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Poland, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.
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On Saturday, November 7, six people were killed and a dozen others wounded when a gunman opened fire in the landmark historic centre of Poland’s second city of Krakow, in the country’s deadliest shooting in decades.
The man, a Polish citizen, drove a car onto Krakow’s Main Market Square and began shooting at random people, said police. Officers shot a suspect who is now in custody, they added.
“The death toll now stands at six: four women and two men,” the police said on X. A dozen others — including police officers — were wounded.
An AFP reporter at the scene saw ambulances and multiple police cars as police cordoned off the area — one of Poland’s landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.
“The perpetrator was shot by police” and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X.
The police added that the man was wearing military fatigues at the time of the attack and was armed with a long gun.
In his car, “police officers discovered other firearms and a large quantity of ammunition”, Krakow police spokeswoman Katarzyna Cislo told private broadcaster TVN24.
The police did not say what the motive was or disclose the nationalities of the victims of the attack, which is Poland’s deadliest shooting since the fall of communism in 1989.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who headed to Krakow following the attack, called it “a tragic shooting” and said the police were investigating all the circumstances.
“Our highest praise goes to the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty,” Tusk said.
Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, a European Union and NATO member of 38 million people.
But the country has been on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a “cult of violence”.
Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.
(With inputs from AFP)
Source: Khaleej Times