The Krakow Market Square shooting has left six people dead and many more wounded after a gunman drove into the city’s central square and fired at random, according to Polish authorities. Police shot and arrested the suspect within minutes, preventing further loss of life, officials said.
A mid-afternoon attack in the city centre
The violence broke out shortly before 15:00 local time in the Main Market Square, the busy heart of Poland’s second-largest city. Police said the man drove into the square and then began firing at people from his car.
Video from the scene captured crowds running for cover as gunshots rang out. A passing tram was hit, its windows shattering, but no passengers on board were hurt.
Armed officers reached the square quickly and exchanged fire with the attacker. He was shot within three minutes of the first shots and taken alive into custody. Footage verified by BBC Verify appears to show an officer confronting the suspect on the ground and firing several times before falling, apparently wounded himself.
Bullet damage was visible in shop windows around the square, with broken glass spread across the pavement. The suspect’s car was later found at the junction of Dietla and Stradomska streets and was checked for explosives; none were discovered. Nearby buildings were evacuated during the operation.
The dead and injured
Six people have been confirmed dead: four women and two men. One of the victims was a British national, three were Polish, and two have not yet been identified.
Sixteen people were taken to hospital, among them five foreign nationals and the suspect. The foreign patients came from Britain, Austria, Russia, Germany and Portugal, the interior ministry said.
Two police officers were among the wounded after being shot while detaining the attacker. Prime Minister Donald Tusk named them as Senior Constable Jakub Kulik and Senior Constable Artur Morański. A government minister said one of the officers was in a very critical condition after being hit three times and was undergoing surgery.
Separately, Tusk said three bodies — two women and one man — were found at the gunman’s home during a police search after the attack. The authorities have not released the names or ages of the other victims.
What is known about the suspect
Police have identified the attacker as a 25-year-old Polish man but have not confirmed his name. He was wearing military-style clothing and carried a military-grade weapon, a police spokesperson said, though authorities confirmed he was not a serving soldier.
Numerous weapons and rounds of ammunition were found in his vehicle, the spokesperson added. Polish media reported that the suspect held a firearms permit and may have obtained the weapons from his family home. A minister said early investigations indicated he was inspired by far-right ideologies and described him as an ultra-nationalist, without giving further detail.
His home was being searched with support from counter-terrorism police.
Witness accounts
The square, one of Europe’s largest medieval marketplaces, is a busy tourist hub. Jonathan Balshaw, from Ipswich in England, was there with his Polish girlfriend Dominika outside St Mary’s Basilica when the shooting began.
He said they ran along the side of the church and through a side door, hiding with others until the firing stopped. He described hearing more than 20 shots and what sounded like at least two different firearms.
Caitlin Shasby, from Newcastle, had arrived in Krakow the previous day for a long weekend with her friend Jon. They heard shots from their hotel room but were unsure what was happening until the hotel phoned and told them to remain in their rooms until further notice.
Reaction in Poland and abroad
After travelling to Krakow, Tusk said Poland had not previously experienced such drastic cases of terrorism and described the assault as a cruel attack on people’s lives.
Krakow Mayor Łukasz Gibała signed an order declaring a period of mourning in the city until Wednesday, 11 November. City officials urged residents and tourists to avoid the area while the investigation continues.
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 would be felt far beyond Poland.
