Six people were killed and 15 wounded in the Krakow Main Square shooting on Saturday afternoon.
The gunman drove a car onto the city’s Main Square and began shooting at random people, police said. Officers shot the suspect during a confrontation a short distance from the square. He is now in custody and has been taken to hospital.
Police started receiving reports of the shooting at about 3pm local time. A tram driver reported that his vehicle had been shot at as it passed near the square, the city’s transport company said. Police later said 15 people were wounded, including two police officers, one of them seriously.
Gunman acted alone, police say
The gunman acted alone and is Polish, a police spokeswoman told AFP. “There is one perpetrator; it is a Polish man,” she said by phone.
Katarzyna Cislo, a spokeswoman for the Krakow police, told the broadcaster TVN24 that the man was wearing military-style fatigues and used a military-type long gun in the attack. Polish media reported that police found a large quantity of weapons and ammunition in his car.
Police later confirmed six people were killed — four women and two men — and 15 were wounded. “The perpetrator was shot by police” and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X.
An AFP reporter at the scene noted ambulances and several police cars in the area as officers cordoned off the square, one of Poland’s best-known tourist spots, popular with locals and foreign visitors.
‘A tragic shooting’
“The police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, calling it “a tragic shooting”. Tusk said on X that the interior minister was keeping him informed about the incident.
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki said on X that he was “in contact with the relevant authorities” and awaiting “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events”.
“The safety of Poles is an absolute priority,” he added.
A witness described the scene to AFP. “I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square,” said Annette, a woman in her sixties. “It’s a tragedy for Krakow, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” she added.
Why the Krakow Main Square shooting stands out
Deadly shootings are rare in Poland, a European Union and Nato member with 38 million people. But the country was on high alert after a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a “cult of violence”.
Warsaw, a firm ally of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations Moscow rejects. Police have not said what drove the gunman in Krakow, and no motive has been confirmed.
Krakow, in southern Poland, was once the country’s capital. The historic city draws millions of tourists each year. In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people, the city said.
The shooting comes as tensions stay high across the wider region. The United States has set up a new task force to choke off Iran’s overland trade in weapons and sanctioned goods, extending a naval blockade to the country’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. Iran says its forces are stronger than at the start of the war and that the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until the United States accepts its conditions. Shipping through the waterway has faced repeated attacks, and an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a sea mine east of the strait on Saturday morning. President Donald Trump has said the world will “know very soon” whether he makes a deal with Tehran or orders new strikes.
India has also stepped up military activity near its border with China, landing a heavy-lift aircraft at the Nyoma airfield in Ladakh, the highest-altitude landing of its kind.
What happens next
Police have not released the identities of the victims, but confirmed four women and two men were killed. The suspect is a 24-year-old Polish citizen, police said. No motive has been confirmed. Krakow’s mayor has declared a period of mourning in the city until November 11.
Emergency services were still working at the scene on Saturday evening. The casualty figures may change as police release more information.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the Krakow shooting?
Six people were killed — four women and two men — and 15 were wounded, police said. Two police officers were among the wounded, one of them seriously.
Where did the shooting happen?
The shooting took place at the Main Square in the historic centre of Krakow, Poland’s second city and one of Europe’s busiest tourist squares.
Was the gunman caught?
Yes. Police shot the suspect during a confrontation a short distance from the square. He was wounded, taken into custody and transported to hospital.
What do police know about the gunman?
Police say he acted alone and is a 24-year-old Polish man. He was wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun. Police found more weapons and ammunition in his car. No motive has been confirmed.
