Gunman kills six in Kraków market square; three more found at his home
Seven Lights
A gunman killed six people and wounded 16 on Saturday after driving into Kraków’s Main Market Square and opening fire on pedestrians with an automatic weapon, Polish authorities said. Police shot the attacker within three minutes of the first report and arrested him.
The assault began shortly before 15:00 local time. Police said the man drove into the square, the bustling center of Poland’s second-largest city, and fired “at random people from his car.” A passing tram was struck, shattering its windows, though no passengers were injured. Armed officers engaged the gunman in a gunfight; he was shot but survived. Two police officers were among the wounded, one shot three times during the arrest and described by a government minister as in very critical condition.
The dead were four women and two men, one of them a British citizen, police said. Late Saturday night, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that two more women and one man had been found dead at the suspect’s home. Tusk said they were most likely members of the man’s family.
Police identified the attacker as a 25-year-old Polish citizen and did not confirm his name. Poland’s interior minister said he was likely influenced by far-right ideology. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the attack “an act of terror” on the people of Kraków, a city whose main square receives some 15 million visitors a year. Officers cordoned the square and checked the suspect’s car, found at the intersection of Dietla and Stradomska streets, for possible explosive devices.
Mayor Łukasz Gibała signed an order declaring a period of mourning in the city through Wednesday, November 11, and urged residents and tourists to stay away from the area while the investigation continued. President Karol Nawrocki said he was “deeply concerned” and awaited “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these tragic events.”
Witnesses described more than 20 shots and the sound of multiple firearms. A visitor from Newcastle said her hotel rang to tell guests to stay in their rooms until further notice.
Poland has historically strict gun laws, but legal ownership has grown: the number of legally owned firearms passed one million for the first time this year, and police statistics recorded a record 50,700 gun permits issued in 2025, nearly double the 2015 figure. Prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation. No further arrests were announced.