A gunman drove onto Kraków’s Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon and opened fire on pedestrians, killing six people and wounding at least 15 others before police shot and detained him, according to Polish officials. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the 25-year-old Polish suspect wore military-style clothing, carried military-grade weapons, and may have been motivated by far-right ideology.
Police said the attack began at about 15:00 local time when the man steered his vehicle into the square and began shooting at random. Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała ordered citywide mourning through 11 November, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk travelled to the city as investigators cordoned the historic centre.
What police have confirmed
Kierwiński told reporters the suspect acted alone and remains in hospital in critical condition after officers used lethal force during the arrest. Two police officers were injured in the exchange; one was described as being in very critical condition after being shot three times. A police spokesperson said additional weapons were recovered from the suspect’s vehicle.
Authorities have not released the names of the dead. Regional officials in Lesser Poland said at least 15 injured people were receiving hospital care in Kraków. Video from the scene showed shoppers and tourists scrambling as shots echoed across the square, one of Poland’s busiest tourist landmarks.
Investigation and political response
Kierwiński said anti-terrorism units were searching the suspect’s home and that early indications pointed to ultra-nationalist views. He added that the guns may have been taken from a family residence, though that detail has not been independently verified. President Karol Nawrocki said he was awaiting a full explanation of the circumstances.
On social media, Tusk praised police who “risked their lives” to stop the attacker and asked political rivals not to exploit the tragedy while investigators establish motive. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the killings a tragedy that would be felt beyond Poland, and U.S. Ambassador Tom Rose described the attack as a “savage and murderous” assault on the city’s peace.
What happens next
Prosecutors are expected to pursue terrorism-related charges if the far-right link is substantiated. Tusk said every circumstance of the crime would be established, and Governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar visited hospitals treating the wounded. Police appealed for witness footage from the square as the cordon remained in place into the evening.
Kraków, Poland’s second-largest city, rarely sees mass shootings of this scale. The combination of military attire, battlefield weapons, and an initial ministerial statement on ideology sets the case apart from ordinary criminal violence and will test Poland’s security services and its heated domestic politics in the weeks ahead.