On a bright Saturday afternoon in the old heart of Kraków, an ordinary lunch between friends and families was interrupted by gunfire that turned a famous square into a scene of flight and grief. Six people lost their lives, among them a Briton, an Austrian woman and four Poles, while fifteen more were wounded. In the minutes that followed, strangers became rescuers: two surgeons who had been dining nearby ran toward the shots with nothing but their training and their hands, and volunteers on a holiday weekend joined them. The attacker's motives, shaped, officials say, by far-right ideology, no
Surgeon Who Was Eating Lunch Near Krakow Shooting Helped Save Injured Officer's Life
Six people were killed, including a British national, an Austrian woman and four Poles, and 15 were injured; two police officers were seriously wounded.
"It's not our task to decide what to do with this guy."
Mark
Two surgeons happened to be having lunch nearby. How much did that matter?
Mimi
A great deal, by Pędziwiatr's account. No ambulances had arrived yet, and Wierdak used his hand to stop an officer's bleeding until one did.
Luke
Worth noting that's Pędziwiatr's account of his colleague. He says Wierdak "undoubtedly" saved the officer's life, but that's one surgeon's judgment, not a medical finding.
Mark
They also treated the attacker. Why does that stand out?
Mimi
Pędziwiatr said they learned only afterward who he was. To them he was another badly injured person.
Luke
Right, and that's his description of their thinking. We don't know how long they spent on each patient.
Mark
What do we know about the motive?
Mimi
The interior minister said everything suggests a fascination with far-right ideologies, and prosecutors opened a terror investigation.
Luke
Notice the wording: "suggests," "apparently inspired." That's ministers speaking, not charges or a court finding. He hasn't been named and is still critical.
Mark
And his family?
Mimi
Police found the bodies of his parents and sister when they searched his house.
Luke
The reporting doesn't say how they died or when. That's unknown for now, and we shouldn't fill it in.
O Pulso
- Gunfire broke out shortly before 15:00 in Kraków's historic centre, and within minutes a vehicle was racing through streets as people scattered for cover.
- Bullets shattered shop windows and struck a tram, while tourists and residents ran blindly, unsure whether the gunman was alone.
- Two off-duty surgeons sprinted toward the victims, with no ambulance yet in sight, and one pressed his hand against a police officer's wound to hold back the bleeding.
- Six people are dead and fifteen injured, and prosecutors have opened a terror investigation as the attacker remains in critical condition and unnamed.
- Two wounded officers have emerged from comas and are being hailed as heroes, while the square has reopened and investigators work toward charges.
On a bright Saturday afternoon in the old heart of Kraków, an ordinary lunch between friends and families was interrupted by gunfire that turned a famous square into a scene of flight and grief. Six people lost their lives, among them a Briton, an Austrian woman and four Poles, while fifteen more were wounded. In the minutes that followed, strangers became rescuers: two surgeons who had been dining nearby ran toward the shots with nothing but their training and their hands, and volunteers on a holiday weekend joined them. The attacker's motives, shaped, officials say, by far-right ideology, now sit at the centre of a terrorism inquiry, and a city that has long defined itself by its gathering places is left to wonder how such violence finds its way into them.
Professor Michal Pędziwiatr was having lunch in central Kraków on Saturday with a colleague and both families when they heard gunshots close to the Main Market Square. He later told the BBC that they had looked at each other and asked what a surgeon could do. They ran toward the sound. There were no ambulances yet and no other professionals nearby. His colleague, Dr Mateusz Wierdak, pressed his hand against the bleeding wound of the most seriously injured police officer, holding on until help arrived. Pędziwiatr believes that act undoubtedly saved the man's life.
The attack, which lasted about three minutes, shattered windows and struck a tram in the historic centre. Six people were killed, including a British national, an Austrian woman and four Poles, and fifteen were injured. Two officers were shot while subduing the gunman, senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański. Both regained consciousness on Sunday, and the government called them true heroes. The mayor has asked that they be made honorary citizens.
The surgeons also treated the attacker, and only later learned who he was. Pędziwiatr said that to a doctor, a victim and a suspect look the same on the table, and that deciding his fate was not their task. The 24-year-old Pole remains in critical condition. Officials say he was fascinated by far-right ideology, and his home held the bodies of his parents and sister. A terror investigation is underway.
Volunteers from Dublin Civil Defence, in the city for a break, also began CPR and bleeding control at once. Witnesses described running without knowing where the danger was, until they found a hotel to hide in. The square reopened on Sunday evening, but the questions of who the attacker was and what the investigation will reveal remain open.
Professor Michal Pędziwiatr was having lunch in central Krakow on Saturday afternoon, with a colleague and both men's families, when they heard gunshots. They were close to the city's Main Market Square. Pędziwiatr, who heads General, Oncological, Metabolic and Emergency Surgery at the University Hospital in Krakow, told the BBC that they saw the attack happening and asked themselves what a surgeon could do. They decided to help the victims as quickly as possible.
The colleague was named by local media as Dr Mateusz Wierdak, described as a renowned surgeon in the city. The two men ran toward the shooting. Pędziwiatr said no ambulances were there yet and no professionals were nearby. Wierdak used his hand to stem the bleeding of the most seriously wounded police officer, which let them hold on until an ambulance could take the officer to hospital. Pędziwiatr said his colleague "undoubtedly" saved the officer's life.
The attack began shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) in the historic centre. Footage showed the gunman's vehicle speeding through the city while people fled as shots rang out. Bullets shattered shop windows and hit a tram. Police say the attack lasted about three minutes. Six people were killed and 15 injured. The dead include a British national, an Austrian woman and four Poles.
The two officers shot while subduing the attacker are senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government hailed them as "true heroes" for preventing further deaths, and both emerged from comas on Sunday. The mayor of Krakow said he had submitted an urgent request that both be named honorary citizens of the city.
The surgeons also treated the gunman. Pędziwiatr said they only came to learn later that one of the people they had helped was the apparent attacker. "As a doctor... it doesn't matter to me if it's a victim or a suspect," he said, adding that deciding what happens to the man was not their task. For them, he said, it was simply another heavily injured victim.
The attacker is 24, Polish, and remains in critical condition. Authorities have not named him. He wore full military tactical gear and carried what was described as a military-grade weapon, though the government said he was not a member of the Polish armed forces. When his house was searched, the bodies of his parents and sister were found. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said everything suggested the man was fascinated by far-right ideologies and held ultra-nationalist views. The National Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation led by a unit specialising in terrorist offences.
Others also stepped in. Six Dublin Civil Defence volunteers, on a city break near the square, began giving care at once. Officer James McConnell told RTE News they provided CPR and haemorrhage control.
Witnesses described panic. Ruby Catherine Warren, from London, said she yelled at her friends to run and they sprinted for their lives. Not knowing where the gunman was, or whether there were more than one, they kept running until they found a hotel to hide in. Tom Brook, from West Yorkshire, was inside a McDonald's when he heard multiple gunshots and saw people running for cover. Walking into the square, he saw paramedics working on someone outside a shop and a body covered in foil blankets about 20 metres away.
Main Market Square reopened on Sunday evening after the security cordon was lifted. The next things to watch are the attacker's name, any charges once his condition allows, and what the terror investigation finds.
Citações Notáveis
As a doctor... it doesn't matter to me if it's a victim or a suspect.— Professor Michal Pędziwiatr, surgeon, to the BBC
Everything suggests the suspect was fascinated by far-right ideologies and held ultra-nationalist views.— Marcin Kierwiński, Poland's Interior Minister (paraphrased)
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