A gunman drove into the heart of Krakow's medieval Old Town on Saturday afternoon and opened fire on pedestrians at random, killing six people and wounding more than a dozen others before police shot him dead within three minutes. Hours later, officers searching his family home 200km away found three more bodies — his parents and his 21-year-old sister.
The attack began shortly before 3pm local time (2pm GMT) in Krakow's Main Market Square — one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, at the centre of a UNESCO-listed historic old town and a magnet for tourists even in November. Police said the attacker drove into the square before firing "at random people from his car." A passing tram was hit, shattering its windows, though no passengers were hurt. Footage authenticated by BBC Verify shows crowds scattering as gunshots rang out across the square.
Armed officers reached the scene and exchanged fire with the suspect, shooting him within three minutes — a response authorities credited with preventing what could have been a far larger death toll. A 25-year-old man was arrested and remains hospitalised after surgery for a gunshot wound; police have not released his name.
Six dead, dozens hurt, a family found dead at home
Six people were confirmed killed in the square: four women and two men, including a British national. Three of the victims were Polish; two had not been identified as of Saturday night. Sixteen people were taken to hospital, including five foreign nationals — from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia — and two police officers.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk named the injured officers as Senior Constable Jakub Kulik and Senior Constable Artur Morański. One, a government minister said, was in "very critical condition" after being shot three times while arresting the attacker and was undergoing surgery.
Tusk later told reporters in Krakow: "Until now in Poland we haven't had such drastic cases of terrorism — that's what we have to call this cruel attack on people's lives here in Krakow." Krakow's mayor, Łukasz Gibała, declared a period of civic mourning running until Wednesday.
Separately, police confirmed on Sunday that the three bodies discovered when they searched the suspect's house in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski — a city roughly 200km (125 miles) from Krakow — were his parents and his 21-year-old sister. The property was searched with support from counter-terrorism police; the suspect's car, found nearby at the intersection of Dietla and Stradomska streets, was checked for explosives and none were found, though nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.
A firearms permit and a "far-right" motive under investigation
Police described the suspect as wearing "military-style attire" and carrying a military-grade weapon, though officials said he was not a soldier. "Many pieces of weapons and ammunition were found in his vehicle," a police spokesperson said. Polish media have reported that the suspect held a legal firearms permit and may have taken the weapons from his family's home — raising immediate questions about gun-licensing checks that are likely to dominate the domestic political response in the coming days. A government minister said early investigations suggested the attacker was "inspired by far-right ideologies," describing him as an "ultra-nationalist."
Witnesses described a chaotic scene. Jonathan Balshaw, visiting from Ipswich with his Polish girlfriend, was near St Mary's Basilica when the shooting started. "We ran down the side of the church and through the side door and hid with several other people until the gunfire died down," he said. "A lot of shots were fired, more than 20, with it sounding like multiple different firearms — there were two distinctly different noises." Caitlin Shasby, who had arrived from Newcastle the day before for a long weekend, said she and a friend heard shots from their hotel room before staff told guests to stay inside.
The attack drew swift condemnation abroad. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was "shocked and saddened," adding that "the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with the people of Poland." The US ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, called it a "savage and murderous attack." The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the shooting was "a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland," and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky extended condolences "on behalf of the Ukrainian people."
City officials have urged residents and visitors to stay away from the Main Market Square while the investigation continues. Polish prosecutors are expected to open a formal terrorism probe in the coming days, with the suspect's firearms permit facing early scrutiny as authorities try to establish how he obtained a military-grade weapon.
