Gunman kills six on Krakow’s Main Market Square

A gunman drove onto Krakow's Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon, November 7, and fired at random people from his car. Four women and two men were killed and 16 people were wounded, two police officers among them, according to the Associated Press. AFP described it as Poland's deadliest shooting since communism fell in 1989. Officials have called the attack terrorism and linked the suspect to far-right ideas.apnews.com+1

Attack and arrest

Police said the shooting started at about 3 p.m. local time, when a man who had driven onto the square "began firing at random people from his car," Politico reported. Before reaching the square, he fired at a tram from his moving car and shattered the window of the driver's cab, according to the city transport company, which was quoted by the AP. Police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło said the attacker made a "wild ride" around the square, which is why people were hurt in several places. He wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and carried a military-type long gun.politico.com+1

Officers shot and wounded the suspect in a gunfight a short distance away. Police said he kept firing at them after he had been hit. He was taken to the hospital for surgery, and police found more firearms and a large amount of ammunition in his car, AFP reported. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said one of the wounded officers had been shot three times and was in very critical condition, according to ABC News Australia. Police said the gunman acted alone. They denied reports that a second attacker was being sought.afp.com+1

Suspect's views and official response

The suspect is a 25-year-old Polish citizen. Officials first gave his age as 24. Kierwiński said he was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held "very radical views," the AP reported. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the shooting an "act of terror" against the people of Krakow.apnews.com

Prime Minister Donald Tusk travelled to Krakow and praised "the heroic police officers who risked their lives." In a post on X he added: "a heartfelt appeal to politicians of all stripes: do not exploit this tragedy," according to LBC and the BBC. Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared official mourning in the city until Wednesday and said Krakow would stay open to visitors. "The square will belong to us again," he said.bbc.com+1

Wider context

Mass shootings are rare in Poland. The country has been on alert since October, when it saw a series of school attacks and stabbings that Tusk called a "cult of violence," AFP reported. Gun licences are rising quickly. More than 50,000 were issued in 2025, bringing the total to 411,000. Authorities have not yet said whether the suspect's weapons were legal.afp.com

Foreign leaders sent condolences, among them Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the shooting "a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland."