On a Saturday afternoon in late autumn, in the market square at the heart of Kraków, one of Poland's most visited cities, a 25-year-old man turned an automatic weapon on a crowd that had come for an ordinary evening of life. Six people died and sixteen were wounded, among them visitors from several European countries and two police officers, and the country now faces the familiar, painful work of counting its dead and asking how such violence finds its way into a public place. The suspect's fascination with far-right ideas has been named, though the deeper reasons remain unsettled, as do the e
Six killed, 16 wounded as gunman opens fire in Kraków market square; three more found dead at suspect's home
Six people killed and 16 wounded, including foreign nationals from Britain, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia, and two police officers, one in serious condition; three more dead at the suspect's home.
Nine dead tied to one man, announced hours apart
Mark
Six dead in the square, three more at the suspect's home. How should we hold those two numbers together?
Mimi
Carefully. Tusk said the three at the home were most likely family members. That's a late-night statement, so the city is grieving nine deaths tied to one man, though they were announced at different times.
Luke
And only the six are described as victims of the shooting itself. We don't know how the three died or when. Nine is a tempting headline figure, but the reporting doesn't yet say the same thing happened to all of them.
Mark
The interior minister said the suspect was fascinated by far-right ideology. Why does that matter so early?
Mimi
Because the defence minister had already called it an act of terror. Kierwiński's description of "very radical" and "ultra-nationalistic" views gives that word some content.
Luke
It's still a minister's characterization at a news conference, hours after the event. We haven't heard evidence, writings or a charge. It's a lead to follow, not a finding.
Mark
There's also the tram driver whose cabin window was shot out.
Mimi
It happened around 3pm near the square, from a man in a moving car, according to the transport company. It suggests the violence may have reached beyond the square itself.
Luke
May. Nobody in the reporting has tied it to the suspect. Same time, same area, but that's not confirmation.
Mark
And the gun permit numbers?
Mimi
Over a million legal firearms and a record 50,700 permits in 2025 give context to the debate.
Luke
Context, not cause. We don't know whether this weapon was legal, and automatic weapons are a separate question from most permits. That's one of the biggest unknowns.
Le Pouls
- A gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon in Kraków's packed main square at about three on Saturday afternoon.
- Six people lay dead and sixteen wounded, while one wounded police officer fought for life after being shot three times.
- Three more bodies, likely family members, were discovered at the suspect's home, pulling the toll ever higher through the night.
- A tram driver reported being shot at from a passing car nearby, and officials have not yet confirmed whether the incidents are linked.
- Ministers are calling it terror and pointing to far-right ideology, while questions about how he obtained his gun press against a record surge in firearm permits.
- Poland has entered national mourning on Sunday and Monday, and investigators are racing to identify the victims and reconstruct the suspect's final hours.
On a Saturday afternoon in late autumn, in the market square at the heart of Kraków, one of Poland's most visited cities, a 25-year-old man turned an automatic weapon on a crowd that had come for an ordinary evening of life. Six people died and sixteen were wounded, among them visitors from several European countries and two police officers, and the country now faces the familiar, painful work of counting its dead and asking how such violence finds its way into a public place. The suspect's fascination with far-right ideas has been named, though the deeper reasons remain unsettled, as do the events at his home where three more people were found dead. Poland has answered with national mourning, a reminder that a shared square can briefly become a place of grief for a whole nation.
At about three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, a 25-year-old Polish man opened fire with an automatic weapon in Kraków's main square, one of the busiest public places in the country. By nightfall, six people were dead and sixteen wounded, a toll that struck at a city that receives fifteen million visitors a year and whose square is their first stop.
The victims included four women and two men, among them a British citizen and several other foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia. Two police officers were hurt in an exchange of fire, and one remains in serious condition. A tram driver also reported being shot at from a passing car near the square, though it is not yet known whether that incident is connected.
Late on Saturday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said three more people, two women and a man, had been found dead at the suspect's home, most likely his family. The defence minister called the attack an act of terror, and the interior minister said the suspect was fascinated by far-right ideology and held radical, ultra-nationalist views. Political leaders offered their condolences and vowed accountability.
The attack revives a national debate over guns. Legal firearm ownership has recently passed one million, and permits reached a record high last year. How this man came to hold his weapon is still unanswered.
Poland will mourn on Sunday and Monday. The questions now are who the victims were, what drove the suspect, and what happened before he reached the square.
At about three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, a 25-year-old Polish citizen opened fire with an automatic weapon in Kraków's main square, one of the busiest public places in the country. By the time the shooting was over, six people were dead and 16 were wounded, according to Polish authorities.
Police said four women and two men were killed. One of the dead was a British citizen. Three of the victims were Polish women, and the remaining two had not yet been identified. A Polish government spokesperson said the foreign nationals among the wounded came from Britain, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia. Two police officers were also hurt. One of them is in serious condition after being shot three times in an exchange of fire with the suspected attacker.
The city's transport company described a related report from around the same time. A tram driver said his vehicle had been shot at by a man in a moving car as it passed near the main square. The window of the driver's cabin was shattered. The material available does not say whether this incident has been formally linked to the square shooting.
Poland's defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, called the attack an "act of terror" on the people of Kraków, the country's second-largest city. It receives 15 million visitors a year, most of whom pass through the main square. At a news conference, the interior minister, Marcin Kierwiński, offered an early account of the suspect. He said the man was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held "very radical" and "ultra-nationalistic" views.
Late on Saturday night, the picture grew darker. Prime minister Donald Tusk said that two more women and one man had been found dead in the suspect's home. He said they were most likely members of the man's family. That brings the number of dead linked to the suspect to nine, though the three deaths at the home were announced separately and the circumstances have not been detailed.
The political response came quickly. Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka wrote on X that the event had "shaken all of Poland" and that Tusk was on his way to Kraków. Justice minister Waldemar Żurek said on X that authorities would ensure the perpetrator was held fully accountable and severely punished. President Karol Nawrocki said he was deeply concerned by reports of the tragic events and that his thoughts were with the victims, the injured and their families.
The attack lands amid a debate over firearms ownership. Earlier this year, Euronews reported that the number of legally owned guns in Poland had passed one million for the first time. Police statistics cited in that report show a record 50,700 gun permits issued in 2025, and the number of active permits registered that year was almost double the figure for 2015. Nothing in the available reporting says how the suspect obtained his weapon.
Poland will observe national mourning on Sunday and Monday. The questions now ahead are who the dead are, what drove the suspect, how he came to hold an automatic weapon, and what happened in his home before he went to the square.
Citations marquantes
The suspect was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held very radical, ultra-nationalistic views.— Marcin Kierwiński, Polish interior minister
Called the shooting an act of terror on the people of Kraków.— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Polish defence minister
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