A gunman killed six people and wounded at least 15 others in Kraków’s Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon, November 7, according to France 24. The attack prompted Poland to declare two days of national mourning. The attacker was shot and detained by police, then died later in hospital, according to the Guardian.
The Guardian reported that the 24-year-old attacker was from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. According to SCMP (Hong Kong), he wore military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, drove into the square and opened fire. Police said he kept firing after being wounded by officers. Police have not officially named him.
Polish prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation after the attack, the Guardian reported. Police said three people found dead at the gunman’s home were his father, 53, his mother, 52, and his sister, 21.
According to the Guardian, five of the injured are foreign nationals from Britain, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia. The same outlet reported that a Briton was among the dead. Two police officers were also injured, one of them in serious condition.
The number of injured is disputed. France 24 and SCMP report at least 15 wounded, while the Guardian reports 17 others injured. No official reconciliation of the figure has been reported, and the most recent official count is not confirmed in these sources.
The suspect’s ideology is also disputed. Interior minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held ‘very radical’ and ‘ultra-nationalistic’ views. Government spokesperson Adam Szlapka then urged caution, and the Guardian says officials appeared to backtrack. SCMP describes the attacker as having far-right views as a stated fact. No basis for the interior minister’s claims has been published, and officials have declined to comment further.
Kraków is Poland’s second-largest city, and the Main Market Square is a popular tourist destination. The Guardian described the shooting as a rare mass shooting. The square reopened on Sunday evening after a security cordon was lifted.
Justice minister Waldemar Żurek said the investigation will continue to establish whether the attacker acted alone. No findings have been reported. No motive has been confirmed, and no response from the suspect’s family has been reported. Poland’s second day of national mourning follows.
Several points remain unresolved, including the injury total, the basis for the ideology claims, the current condition of the injured officer and the attacker’s motive. The 17-injured figure comes from a single outlet, the Guardian.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.