A gunman killed six people and wounded 16 others in Kraków's central market square on Saturday, with Poland's defense minister describing the attack as an "act of terror" against the city, The Guardian reported. Police detained the 25-year-old suspect, a Polish national, after he began shooting with an automatic firearm around 3pm.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński told reporters the suspect was drawn to far-right ideologies and held "very radical" and "ultra-nationalistic" views. Polish police said the dead included a British national and three Polish women, while two victims had not been identified. Five foreigners were among the wounded.
Three relatives of the suspect, a man and two women, were found dead at his residence in the city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, soon after the shooting. Two police officers were also hurt, one of them in serious condition. Thirteen people were hospitalized in serious condition, possibly counting the gunman, who underwent surgery.
Jonathan Balshaw, from Ipswich, was next to St Mary's basilica with his girlfriend when the shooting began. "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 told the BBC. "A lot of shots were fired, more than 20, with it sounding like multiple different firearms – there were two distinctly different noises."
In clips that witnesses shared on social media, people were seen fleeing the square for cover on nearby side streets, while first responders attempted to revive victims.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham honored the victims once a Briton was confirmed among the dead. "I'm shocked and saddened by the appalling shooting in Kraków today," he said. "My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives, everyone injured and all those affected by this senseless violence."
According to the municipal transport firm in Kraków, the driver of a tram reported around 3pm that a shooter in a moving vehicle had targeted his tram close to the central square, shattering the window of the driver's cabin.
Dressed in a bulletproof vest and military-style fatigues, the assailant kept shooting at officers even once struck by gunfire himself, Katarzyna Cisło, spokesperson for Kraków police, said, adding that his car held further weapons and ammunition. The shooter's "wild ride" around the square explained why people were hit in several places, she added, noting he seemed to be a lone attacker.
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called it an "act of terror" in a city that draws 15 million visitors a year, most of whom cross the central square. Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared official mourning through Wednesday but vowed that Kraków would stay open. "The square will belong to us again," the mayor said in a clip he shared on X.
"Today's event in Kraków has shaken all of Poland," Adam Szłapka, a government spokesperson, said on X, noting that Tusk was "on his way to Kraków".
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek stated that authorities would "ensure that the perpetrator of this crime is held fully accountable and severely punished".
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced road barriers and tighter security in the old town. Legally owned firearms in Poland passed 1m, Euronews reported earlier this year, and gun permits issued in 2025 hit a record 50,700, according to police statistics cited in the report.
National mourning will be observed on Sunday and Monday in memory of those killed, The Guardian reported.
