Six people were killed and 15 wounded when a gunman opened fire from a car in Kraków’s Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon, 7 November 2026, in the deadliest shooting Poland has seen in decades. Polish police shot and detained the attacker at the scene, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk later called the attack an act of terrorism.
Four women and two men were killed in the square, including a British national, police chief Marek Boroń said at a news conference. Five foreign nationals were among the 15 wounded, along with two police officers, one of whom was seriously hurt.
Gunman fired from a moving car in the crowded square
Police said the man drove onto the square at about 3 p.m. local time and began firing at random people from his car. The square, the heart of Kraków’s medieval Old Town and one of Poland’s most visited tourist sites, was busy on the Saturday afternoon.
Police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło told broadcaster TVN24 that the attacker wore military-style fatigues and used a military-type long gun. Police later said the weapon was a semi-automatic rifle similar to an American AR-15. Officers shot the man and took him to hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. Police said he was a Polish citizen and acted alone.
Three bodies found at the suspect’s home
Hours after the shooting, investigators found three bodies — two women and a man — at the suspect’s home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 150 kilometres from Kraków. Tusk said the three appeared to be close members of the gunman’s family, and authorities were investigating the circumstances of their deaths.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said preliminary findings indicated the suspect was “fascinated by far-right ideologies” and held “ultra-nationalist views”. The motive for the attack in the square was still under investigation on Sunday morning, as Al Jazeera reported, and investigators were still establishing how the attacker obtained his weapon.
Poland declares two days of mourning
Tusk announced two days of national mourning and praised the officers who stopped the gunman. Kraków’s mayor, Łukasz Gibała, said the city would observe official mourning until Wednesday.
The attack closed a turbulent week in world news that also saw Paraguay’s president removed from office on Friday after a banking scandal froze millions of savers out of their accounts.
What we know so far
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Saturday, 7 November, about 3 p.m. | Gunman drives onto Kraków’s Main Market Square and opens fire from his car |
| Minutes later | Police shoot and detain the suspect; he is taken to hospital |
| Saturday evening | Square cordoned off; six dead and 15 wounded confirmed; three bodies found at the suspect’s home |
| Sunday, 8 November | Two days of national mourning begin; investigation into motive and weapon continues |
A rare mass shooting in Poland
Channel News Asia reported that the attack was Poland’s deadliest shooting since the fall of communism in 1989. Kraków, Poland’s second-largest city, draws millions of visitors a year to its Old Town, and the Main Market Square is one of Europe’s largest medieval squares.
Early reports differed on the toll, and the figures may still change as authorities confirm details. Two of the people killed in the square had not yet been identified, according to police.
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