Six killed in Krakow shooting as police investigate suspected far-right motive

Six people were killed and at least 15 others injured when a gunman opened fire in Krakow’s historic Main Market Square, one of Poland’s most visited public spaces. Police shot and wounded the suspect during an exchange of fire before taking him to hospital, while authorities began investigating what Prime Minister Donald Tusk described as an act of terrorism. Police said the attacker, a 25-year-old Polish man, drove into the square at about 3pm local time and fired indiscriminately from inside the vehicle.

He later moved between several locations in the square, according to DW. Euronews reported that two police officers were injured, one critically; the reports differed on the overall number of wounded, with figures of 15 and 16 cited. The victims included four women and two men.

Polish police chief Marek Boron said one of those killed was a British citizen, while two victims had not yet been identified. Authorities also said five foreigners among the injured came from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the suspect appeared to be fascinated by far-right ideologies and held ultranationalist, highly radical views.

The attacker was wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, according to DW and Euronews. Police found additional weapons and ammunition in the car, while reports described the firearm as a long gun or a semi-automatic rifle resembling an AR-15. The investigation widened after police found the bodies of two women and a man at the suspect’s home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 150 kilometres northeast of Krakow.

Tusk said there was “much to suggest” that the three were members of the suspect’s immediate family. Authorities had not publicly established the circumstances or timing of those deaths in the supplied reports. The attack sent pedestrians running for cover and led people to shelter in nearby shops and restaurants.

Witness footage showed overturned café chairs, shattered windows, ambulances and heavily armed police surrounding the square. The historic centre remained sealed off on Saturday evening as investigators examined the scene. Tusk announced two days of national mourning and praised police officers who confronted the attacker.

President Karol Nawrocki said the safety of Poles was an absolute priority, while EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas and leaders from Germany, Britain and Ukraine expressed condolences. Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city, attracts millions of visitors each year; city authorities said 16.2 million tourists visited in 2025. DW reported that Tusk called the shooting an unprecedentedly severe act of terrorism for Poland, while the investigation into the motive and the deaths at the suspect’s home continued.