Key takeaways: A gunman killed six people and wounded at least 15 in Krakow’s Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon before police shot and arrested him. Three more bodies were later found at his home about 200 kilometres away. Polish authorities say early evidence points to far-right ideology, but no motive has been confirmed. Poland declared two days of national mourning.
Six people were killed and at least 15 wounded on Saturday afternoon when a gunman drove onto the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, and opened fire on crowds in one of Europe’s most visited historic squares. Police shot the gunman and arrested him minutes later. Hours afterwards, three more bodies were found at his home about 200 kilometres away.
The attack, which began at around 3 p.m. local time, brought violence to the medieval heart of Poland’s second-largest city, a square laid out in the 13th century and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Poland in recent memory, and it has rattled a country where such attacks have been rare, and where people have long felt safer than in much of western Europe.
What happened in the square
Police said they began receiving reports at around 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) that a man had driven onto Rynek Glowny, the Main Market Square, and was firing randomly at people from his car. The square was busy on a Saturday afternoon, filled with tourists and residents, and with the horse-drawn carriages that are a familiar sight there.
The gunman stopped at several points around the square, firing at each one, according to Polish media reports. Witnesses described people running for cover as shots rang out. One man, who gave his name only as Konrad, told the news website Interia that he saw shots being fired from the driver’s side window. He ran to the police station on the square and found it full of people hiding on the floor. Another witness, a 67-year-old man called Julek, told Reuters he saw a dark car appear suddenly before the driver started shooting at a group of people and drove off.
Officers reached the gunman fast. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said police fired shots at the attacker just three minutes after receiving the first report, and praised the officers who stopped him. “The police prevented a much larger massacre that could have otherwise occurred,” he said.
The gunman was shot in a close-range exchange with officers and arrested. He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery. A spokesperson for the Lesser Poland region, where Krakow lies, told Reuters shortly after midnight that he was in “stable but very critical condition” after multiple surgeries.
Four women and two men were killed in the square. Three of the dead were Polish, one was a British citizen, and two had not yet been identified, officials said. The number of wounded was reported at 15 or 16 by several outlets, while Reuters, citing officials, put the total at 17 people wounded, including the gunman himself. Two police officers were among the wounded, one of them in serious condition. An interior ministry spokesperson said five of the injured foreign nationals came from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain.
Police said there was no second attacker. “The only known perpetrator of the incident is in police custody,” they said in a post on X.
The gunman and the investigation
Police described the suspect as a Polish man in his mid-20s. Police said he was a 24-year-old Polish citizen, though some news outlets reported his age as 25. He had no previous criminal record, according to The Times, and held a firearms licence. Police spokesperson Andrzej Fijolek told the broadcaster TVN24 that the gunman used an AR-15 rifle.
The gunman was wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, police said. A local police spokesperson, Katarzyna Cislo, said many weapons and a large amount of ammunition were also found in his vehicle. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz denied reports that the suspect was a soldier, saying he was not and had never been a member of the Polish Armed Forces.
Investigators have not yet established a motive, and no charges had been reported by Sunday morning. But the interior minister said the early evidence pointed in one direction. “Everything points to the fact that the shooter was influenced by far-right ideology, a matter that will also be subject to investigation,” Kierwinski told a news briefing. He added that the attacker was fascinated by far-right ideologies and held very radical and ultra-nationalist views.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the incident as a terrorist attack, and the defence minister called it an act of terror against the people of Krakow. Poland’s Internal Security Agency and Military Counterintelligence Service are supporting the investigation, according to Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister coordinating the special services.
Three more bodies found at the suspect’s home
The investigation widened late on Saturday when police searched the suspect’s home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a town about 200 kilometres north of Krakow. There they found the bodies of two women and a man.
Tusk said there were strong indications that the three were members of the gunman’s immediate family, and that a drone had been used to look inside the home because of potential security threats. “We know that a significant amount of weaponry may be inside the house,” he told a crisis meeting. Local media reported that residents had been evacuated from the building and that counterterrorism officers had entered it.
Authorities have not said how the three people died, and the circumstances are part of the investigation. If the deaths are linked to the gunman, the total number of people killed in connection with the attack would rise to nine.
A shock for a country that felt safe
The shooting has stunned Poland. Reuters noted that the scenes of blood and bodies in the historic heart of one of the country’s main tourist attractions shocked a nation that has long viewed itself as safer than western European neighbours that have witnessed such attacks in the past. Krakow receives about 15 million visitors a year, most of them passing through the Main Market Square.
It also comes after a series of school stabbings in October. According to the authorities, those attacks were shaped by violent and extremist material the attackers had seen online. The government has not said whether the Krakow gunman was connected to that pattern, and investigators are still examining his background, his online activity and the evidence recovered from the scene and his home.
Condolences came in from across Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the shooting “shocking” and sent condolences to the families of the victims. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, called it “a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland.”
President Karol Nawrocki declared national mourning for November 8 and 9. Krakow’s mayor, Lukasz Gibala, declared a period of mourning in the city until November 11. Candles were left in the square on Saturday evening, hours after the attack.
What happens next
Investigators are now working on two fronts: establishing exactly what happened in the square, and finding out what happened at the gunman’s home. Police and the Internal Security Agency are examining the weapons recovered from his car and his house, his firearms licence, and his background.
The suspect remains in hospital under guard. No charges had been announced by Sunday morning, and officials have not released his name. The interior minister’s comments about far-right ideology are preliminary findings, not a confirmed motive, and the investigation will determine whether the attack was planned, whether anyone else was involved, and how the gunman obtained his weapons.
For Krakow, the immediate question is how a city built on welcoming visitors recovers from an attack on its most famous square. The square itself, the Cloth Hall and St Mary’s Basilica, all stand undamaged. But the mourning period, the candles in the square and the police presence in the Old Town are a reminder that the city, like the country, will be living with what happened there for a long time.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the Krakow shooting?
Six people, four women and two men, were killed in the Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon. Three more bodies, two women and a man believed to be members of the gunman’s family, were later found at his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski. Investigators are still establishing how those three died.
Who was the gunman?
Police described him as a Polish man in his mid-20s with no previous criminal record. He held a firearms licence and used an AR-15 rifle, according to police. He was wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest. His name has not been released, and he remains in hospital after being shot by police.
What was the motive?
No motive has been confirmed. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said everything pointed to the gunman being influenced by far-right ideology, and that he held very radical and ultra-nationalist views. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack a terrorist act. The investigation is continuing.
Is there a period of mourning?
Yes. President Karol Nawrocki declared national mourning for November 8 and 9. Krakow’s mayor declared mourning in the city until November 11. Police say the only known perpetrator is in custody, and there is no second attacker being sought.
Sources
- Reuters (via Korea Times), “Poland in shock after 6 die in Krakow mass shooting,” November 8, 2026: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/world/20261108/poland-in-shock-after-6-die-in-krakow-mass-shooting
- BBC (via Ada Derana), “Six killed in Krakow ‘far-right’ shooting, as three more bodies found in attacker’s home,” November 8, 2026: https://adaderana.lk/news/251230
- CNN, “After Krakow rampage leaves 6 dead, 3 more bodies found at suspect’s home,” November 7, 2026: https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/07/europe/krakow-shooting-poland-killed-intl?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
- The Times, “Krakow shooting: British citizen among six killed by gunman,” November 8, 2026: https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/krakow-shooting-main-square-city-centre-poland-rn2xgdxbd
- Associated Press (via Economic Times), “Poland shooting: 3 bodies found at home of Krakow gunman; 6 killed, 15 injured in attack,” November 8, 2026: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/poland-shooting-3-bodies-found-at-home-of-krakow-gunman-6-killed-15-injured-in-attack/articleshow/135649381.cms
- Firstpost, “Death toll rises to 6 in Krakow market shooting; Polish Defence Minister calls it ‘act of terror’,” November 8, 2026: https://www.firstpost.com/world/death-toll-rises-to-6-in-krakow-market-shooting-polish-defence-minister-calls-it-act-of-terror-14058622.html
- WION, “Poland mass shooting: What we know so far about Krakow attack that killed six,” November 8, 2026: https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-mass-shooting-what-we-know-so-far-about-krakow-attack-that-killed-six-world-leaders-express-solidarity-1794107201781/amp
