Krakow Shooting Kills Five, Police Arrest Attacker

An attacker opened fire from a moving vehicle in Kraków's historic Main Market Square on Saturday, 7 November 2026, leaving multiple people dead and dozens wounded before police shot and arrested him. According to Małopolska regional authorities and police updates, the bloodshed claimed six lives—comprising four women and two men—while leaving between 12 and 15 people injured. The crisis unfolded around 3 p.m. Local time when a car entered the bustling tourist hub near Slawkowska Street and the driver began discharging a military-type long gun indiscriminately at random bystanders.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the gunman executed a "wild ride" around the central plaza, firing from the driver's side window. A local tram driver reported that his vehicle was shot at while passing nearby, shattering his cabin window. Graphic footage filmed at the northern corner of the square showed at least four people lying on the ground receiving first aid from panicked bystanders. A Polish Air Ambulance Service helicopter landed near St. Mary’s Church as emergency crews and firefighters rushed to secure the area. Numerous police cars and ambulances flooded the vicinity around St. Mary’s Basilica as emergency services urged people to evacuate or steer clear of the cordoned-off zones in the old town.

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Six dead, 15 injured in Krakow shooting, police say

Krakow police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło told TVN24 that the suspect was a 24-year-old Polish citizen wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest. When officers moved in to intercept him following a high-speed vehicle pursuit along Grodzka road, the attacker engaged them in a shootout near the intersection of Dietla and Stradomska streets. Officers neutralized the threat, and investigators subsequently recovered a variety of additional weapons and ammunition from inside the suspect's vehicle. Małopolska Police explicitly denied circulating rumors regarding a potential second accomplice, confirming that the attacker acted entirely alone.

Two police officers were among the wounded during the confrontation. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński provided a grim update on the officers, stating that one sustained a gunshot wound while the other suffered three gunshot wounds and underwent emergency surgery in a very critical condition. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took to social media to announce that he was receiving constant briefings from the Ministry of the Interior and praised the "heroic police officers who risked their lives" to end the rampage. President Karol Nawrocki expressed deep concern and extended condolences to the families of the victims, confirming that the head of the National Security Bureau was dispatched directly to Krakow. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek vowed that the perpetrator would be held fully accountable and severely punished, while prosecutors and forensic services combed the historic square for evidence.

Mass shootings remain exceedingly rare in Poland, a nation with some of the strictest gun ownership laws within the European Union, though public anxiety had already been heightened following a wave of stabbings in October. International leaders offered swift messages of support. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose condemned the incident as a "savage and murderous attack that's shattered the peace of Poland." Additional solidarity came from European officials, including EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who stated that Poland does not stand alone, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who wrote that Germany stands alongside Poland as a friend and partner during difficult times. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also offered condolences, condemning the incident as a shocking crime and expressing solidarity with the Polish people.

As investigators continue to probe the background and potential motives behind the Saturday afternoon attack, further updates on the condition of the hospitalized victims and the official judicial proceedings are expected from Polish prosecutors in the coming days as the city begins a solemn path toward recovery.