WARSAW, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A gunman who killed six people in central Krakow on Saturday in an unprecedented Polish mass shooting died in hospital on Monday, as national shock and grief gave way to an increasingly bitter dispute over his motives.
Very little information has come out about the shooter, who was shot and arrested by police minutes after opening fire from his car in Krakow's historic main square.
The government had said the assailant, identified by prosecutors as Michal Oksinski, a 24-year-old
from the town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski in southeastern Poland, may have been inspired by far-right ideology, without providing further details.
DISPUTE OVER KILLER'S MOTIVES
The nationalist opposition criticised that statement, with Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski saying those claims were a "blatant lie".
National Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak told a press conference on Monday that investigators did not yet know what motivated the killer.
He said that a yellow flag with a snake and the words "Don't tread on me" on it, known as the Gadsden flag, was found in his room.
The Gadsden flag was first used during the American Revolution in the 18th century. Nowak said the flag was associated with "various meanings related to freedom or rebellion" but was not widely known as being linked to any form of extremism.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there were many different emblems on the perpetrator's clothing that had already been partially examined and interpreted.
On Monday, government officials appeared to row back on suggestions of a far-right motive.
"Until the matter is fully clarified and the authorities are in possession of complete information, it is best to refrain from making comments, even if there are some initial indications," government spokesperson Adam Szlapka told TVN24.
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said despite the death of the shooter, the investigation would continue, aiming to establish if he acted alone or was inspired by any group.
"Evidence is being collected, but I will not show or disclose it. I ask for restraint," Zurek told Radio Zet.
Galecka said Poland's Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC) had detained five individuals after finding posts glorifying Oksinski's actions.
"Following the attack in Krakow, the CBZC and the police are on high alert for potential copycats," she said.
NATION IN SHOCK
Poland had never experienced such a mass shooting. Scenes of blood and bodies strewn across the historic heart of one of its main tourist attractions have shocked a nation that has long viewed itself as safer than Western European neighbours that have experienced similar attacks.
"A total of four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition were discovered in the vehicle and in the possession of Michal Oksinski," Nowak said.
"We secured a very large number of spent casings. In total, at least several dozen shots were fired — possibly even several hundred."
Nowak said the two police officers injured in the attack had regained consciousness.
Fifteen people injured in the attack remain in hospital. Fourteen are in stable condition, while the police officer who took part in apprehending the attacker remains in a serious condition, Krakow Province Governor Krzysztof Kleczar told reporters.
The government will review regulations on requirements for people with gun permits following the tragedy, Zurek said.
Both the shooter and his father held gun permits and several firearms were found in the family apartment and the assailant's car, prosecutors said.
The bodies of his father, mother and sister were found in their family home on Saturday, and officials say they were also likely killed by Oksinski.
(Reporting by Marek Strzelecki, Alan Charlish; Editing by Toby Chopra, Sharon Singleton and Ros Russell)
