A 25-year-old Polish man reportedly driven by far-right beliefs opened fire after driving into Krakow’s crowded Main Square on Saturday, killing six people and leaving 15 others injured. Police shot and wounded the suspect, officials said.
Poland’s defense minister called the shooting an “act of terror.” The attack unfolded in the center of Krakow’s Old Town, one of Poland’s most popular tourist destinations and a major gathering place in the country’s second-largest city.
According to authorities, the gunman stopped at several points around the square and fired an automatic weapon each time. Officials have not identified him publicly, but Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said he held “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views.
“Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński said during a news conference.
As investigators continued examining the shooting, Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed that authorities had discovered the bodies of three people believed to be close relatives of the suspect inside his home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of Krakow. The victims were two women and one man.
“We have the next acts of this tragedy,” Tusk told reporters.
The Krakow victims included four women and two men. Authorities said at least three of the women were Polish, while one of those killed was a British citizen. Investigators were still working to establish the identities of the remaining two victims.
Officials said 13 people were hospitalized in serious condition, although that number may include the gunman, who required surgery after the confrontation with police.
Authorities had not determined how many of the injured suffered gunshot wounds. Two people were treated and released within hours. Kierwiński said two police officers were seriously hurt, while police commander Marek Boroń reported that five foreign nationals were among the injured.
People were wounded at several locations
Krakow police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło said the suspect was wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest and was carrying a military-style rifle. Officers also recovered additional weapons and ammunition from his vehicle. Even after police shot him, he continued firing at officers, she said.
Cisło described the incident as a “wild ride” through Main Square, explaining why victims were found at multiple locations. Authorities believe the gunman acted alone.
Krakow Mayor Łukasz Gibała announced that the city would remain in official mourning through Wednesday. He also said the city would continue welcoming visitors despite the attack.
“The square will belong to us again,” Gibała said in a video shared on X.
Mass shootings are rare in Poland
Witness videos posted online showed people fleeing Main Square and seeking shelter in nearby narrow streets. Other footage captured emergency responders performing resuscitation efforts. In one video, a police officer repeatedly fires at the attacker as he lies on the street before the officer later appears to collapse.
Images from the scene also showed a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter after landing in the square.
Authorities had not immediately established whether the weapon used in the shooting, or the guns recovered from the suspect’s vehicle, had been legally owned. About 411,000 people in Poland hold firearms permits, according to available figures, in a country of roughly 37 million residents. Interest in gun ownership has been increasing.
Although mass shootings remain uncommon in Poland, three attacks at schools in the central Mazovia province occurred within a four-day period in mid-October. One person was killed and numerous others, including children, were injured.
Kacper Rekawek, a senior researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague, said the Krakow suspect’s military clothing, weapons and appearance resembled those of other “extreme right lone actors” who have carried out attacks elsewhere in Europe. “We have had attempts before, but now we can say that these kinds of attacks have become successful in Poland,” he said.
Following the Krakow shooting, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced tighter security in the Polish capital’s Old Town, including the installation of road barriers along key streets.
