Thousands of people took part in a silent march through Krakow on Monday evening to remember the six people killed in the city's Main Market Square on Saturday, in a rare show of unity between Poland's president and prime minister.

President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk both joined the march, along with crowds carrying candles through the historic centre of Poland's second city. Participants followed part of the route the gunman drove while firing, and lit memorial candles at the spots where people were killed.

"Tonight in Cracow thousands of Poles gathered to pay tribute to the victims of November 7 attack," Tusk wrote on X after the march.

Relations between Tusk and Nawrocki are tense, but both leaders appeared keen to present a united front over an attack that has shocked Poland and left rival political camps bitterly disputing the killer's motives.

A rare display of unity

Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told broadcaster TVN24 that the joint appearance carried a wider message for the country.

"For Poland, this is always a sign of hope: that while we may hold different views, we are still capable of cooperating, engaging in dialogue, and seeking out what unites us," he said.

"We are capable of showing solidarity during difficult times. Together, we can support those who need such support," he added.

The two most powerful politicians in Poland are locked in a bitter conflict over the Constitutional Court, and their decision to march together, and to light candles side by side at the scene, was widely noted in Polish media.

What happened on Saturday

On Saturday afternoon, a 24-year-old man drove onto Krakow's Main Market Square, one of the country's best-known tourist attractions, and opened fire from his car at people in the square. Six people were killed and 15 others were wounded, including two police officers.

Police shot and arrested the gunman, identified by prosecutors as Michal Oksinski, from the southeastern town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, after a shootout near the square. He died in hospital early on Monday from wounds sustained during his arrest.

The bodies of his father, mother and sister were later found in the family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, and officials say they were also likely killed by Oksinski. Poland declared two days of national mourning after the attack.

Prosecutors said four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition were found in the vehicle and in Oksinski's possession, and that at least several dozen shots were fired, possibly several hundred. Both injured police officers have regained consciousness.

Tusk wrote on X that when officer Artur Moranski woke up, his first words were: "Is Kuba alive?" He was asking after fellow injured officer Jakub Kulik.

Motive still disputed

The question of what motivated the attack has become politically charged. The government initially said Oksinski may have been inspired by far-right ideology, but officials appeared to step back from that claim on Monday.

"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.

National Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Przemyslaw Nowak told a press conference that investigators did not yet know what motivated the killer. He said a yellow flag featuring a snake and the words "Don't tread on me", known as the Gadsden flag, was found in Oksinski's room, but added that it was not widely known as being linked to any form of extremism.

The nationalist opposition rejected the suggestion of a far-right link, with Law and Justice party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski calling those claims a "blatant lie".

Investigation continues

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said the investigation would continue despite the death of the suspect, and would aim to establish whether 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.

Poland's Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime said it had detained five Polish citizens and one Ukrainian, aged 15 to 36, who had posted threatening or alarming content online following the attack. Police said they were on high alert for potential copycat incidents.

The government will also review the regulations on requirements for people who hold gun permits following the tragedy, Zurek said. Both the shooter and his father held gun permits, according to prosecutors.

Poland had never experienced a mass shooting on this scale, and scenes from the historic heart of one of its main tourist attractions have shaken a nation that has long viewed itself as safer than Western European neighbours that have suffered similar attacks.