On a Saturday afternoon, in the old stone heart of Kraków where people gather to walk, talk and linger, a young man opened fire from a car and shattered an ordinary day. Six people lost their lives and more than a dozen were hurt, among them a British visitor and two police officers, one gravely. The authorities now describe the gunman as a man steeped in radical ultranationalist beliefs, and the Prime Minister has named the act terrorism, a word Poland had not yet had to apply to such a scene. As the nation pauses in mourning, the harder work of understanding why has only just begun.
Six killed, more than a dozen injured as gunman opens fire in Kraków's Main Market Square
Six people killed, including a British national, and more than a dozen injured, among them two police officers, one seriously; two more women and a man found dead at the suspect's home.
The square will belong to us again.
Mark
Why is Tusk using the word terrorism so quickly?
Mimi
He said Poland hasn't had such drastic cases before, and that this is what the attack must be called. It frames the response as national, not just criminal.
Luke
Worth noting that's his characterisation. Formal charges haven't been described in the reporting yet.
Mark
What do we know about the suspect?
Mimi
He's 25, Polish, and the interior minister says he was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held very radical, ultra-nationalistic views.
Luke
That's the minister's description. We haven't been given evidence of how it connects to the attack, and the suspect hasn't been officially named.
Mark
And the three bodies at his home?
Mimi
Two women and a man, found via drone footage. Tusk said they were most likely family members.
Luke
Most likely is the key phrase. They haven't been identified, and nothing is said about how they died.
Mark
Why did Tusk warn about disinformation?
Mimi
Online claims spread fast after an attack like this, and he wants the motive established by the investigation.
Luke
Agreed, and the same goes for us: the number of wounded is reported as more than a dozen, with sixteen hospitalised, so the figures may shift.
Il Polso
- A gunman fired an automatic weapon from a moving car across Kraków's Main Market Square at around 3pm, turning a busy weekend afternoon into a scene of panic.
- Six people lay dead and more than a dozen wounded, with sixteen hospitalised, five of them non-Polish nationals.
- Armed officers reached the square within three minutes, and a police officer shot three times in the exchange now fights for his life.
- Investigators are racing to name the two unidentified victims, weigh terrorism charges, and trace motives tied to the suspect's extremist views.
- The attack has spread beyond the square, with two women and a man found dead at the suspect's home, and Poland is now settling into two days of mourning while Kraków stays in mourning until Wednesday.
On a Saturday afternoon, in the old stone heart of Kraków where people gather to walk, talk and linger, a young man opened fire from a car and shattered an ordinary day. Six people lost their lives and more than a dozen were hurt, among them a British visitor and two police officers, one gravely. The authorities now describe the gunman as a man steeped in radical ultranationalist beliefs, and the Prime Minister has named the act terrorism, a word Poland had not yet had to apply to such a scene. As the nation pauses in mourning, the harder work of understanding why has only just begun.
At about three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, a 25-year-old Polish man fired an automatic weapon from inside a car in Kraków's Main Market Square, in the heart of the old town. When the shooting ended, six people were dead and more than a dozen wounded. Among the dead were three Polish women and a British national; two others had not yet been identified.
Armed officers reached the square within three minutes of the first report. Two police officers were hit, and one remains in serious condition after being shot three times. The gunman was wounded and detained. Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the officers' swift response, saying it saved many lives.
The violence did not stop at the square. Inside the suspect's home, police found two women and a man dead, most likely his relatives. They located the bodies using drone footage from above the house.
Tusk came to Kraków and called the attack terrorism, a word Poland had not previously had to use for an attack of this kind. He promised a careful study of motives and warned against disinformation spreading online. Poland observes two days of national mourning, and the city will mourn until Wednesday, with its mayor pledging that the square will belong to the city again.
At about 3pm on Saturday, a 25-year-old Polish man fired an automatic weapon from inside a car in Kraków's Main Market Square, in the heart of the city's old town. By the time the shooting ended, six people were dead and more than a dozen wounded.
Polish police chief Marek Boroń gave the toll to reporters: four women and two men. Three of the dead were Polish women and one was a British national. The other two had not yet been identified. Interior minister Marcin Kierwiński said sixteen people were hospitalised, five of them non-Polish nationals.
Authorities described the gunman as dressed in military-style clothes and armed with a long, military-type firearm. Armed officers reached the scene within three minutes of the first report, Boroń confirmed. Two police officers were among the wounded, and one of them is in serious condition after being shot three times in the exchange of fire. The suspect was injured and detained. Prime minister Donald Tusk thanked the police and said their swift response saved many lives. Two officers were praised for what he called heroic actions and remain in hospital.
Officials have not formally named the suspect, but they have said a good deal about him. Kierwiński said he was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held very radical, ultra-nationalistic views.
The violence reached beyond the square. Tusk said two women and a man were found dead inside the suspect's home, most likely members of his family. Police located them using drone footage taken from above the house, which appeared to show the bodies.
Tusk travelled to Kraków and called the attack terrorism. "Until now in Poland we haven't had such drastic cases of terrorism," he told reporters, adding that this is what the attack has to be called. He said the motives would be carefully studied in the investigation, and he warned against disinformation circulating online.
Poland will observe two days of national mourning, on Sunday and Monday. Kraków's mayor, Łukasz Gibała, said the city will remain in official mourning until Wednesday. He said Kraków would stay open to visitors, and in a video posted to X he said the square would belong to the city again. US ambassador Tom Rose wrote on X that America stands with Poland, describing a murderous attack that had shattered the country's peace.
What comes next is the investigation: the formal identification of the two unnamed victims, the suspect's motives and any terrorism charges, and the condition of the seriously wounded officer.
Citazioni salienti
Until now in Poland we haven't had such drastic cases of terrorism.— Donald Tusk, Polish prime minister
The square will belong to us again.— Łukasz Gibała, mayor of Kraków
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Crime & Justice