A gunman killed six people and wounded several others in central Krakow, Poland’s second largest city, on Saturday. The attack took place in the city’s historic main square, and Poland has begun two days of national mourning.
According to the Straits Times, which carried a Reuters report, local authorities said 16 people were wounded, including two police officers and the suspected gunman. The same report said police found the bodies of the suspect’s parents and sister at his home, all with gunshot wounds. Police also recovered seven firearms and a significant quantity of ammunition. No other outlet in the sources confirms these figures.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the attack as far-right "terrorism." Prosecutors said it constituted a suspected terrorist offense. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said "everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies," according to DW. Police said the suspect used military weapons.
DW reported that a British citizen was among the dead, and that citizens of Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Russia were among the wounded. The British victim is the only person so far identified in the sources.
The suspect’s age is reported differently. DW and the Straits Times, citing Reuters, give his age as 24. BBC World describes him as a 25-year-old Polish citizen. The sources also disagree on the distance of his home town, Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, from Krakow. The Straits Times, citing Reuters, puts it about 200 km (124 miles) north of the city. DW says it is around 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of Krakow.
The attack deepens concern in a country that has long considered itself safer than many Western European countries. Officials have linked a string of school stabbings in October to extremist content online. Krakow’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination, and the main market square and surrounding streets remained closed on Sunday.
Tusk named Senior Constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Moranski as heroes for confronting the gunman after a close-range shootout. One officer is fighting for his life in hospital. The Straits Times report is the only source for the officer’s condition, and no second independent confirmation is available.
Authorities have not confirmed a motive. The government said the attack was likely inspired by far-right ideology, but the investigation is ongoing. The suspect remains in critical condition in hospital and has not been reported to have spoken publicly, so no response from him is available. Only part of BBC World’s report is available as a short excerpt, so its details could not be checked in full. BBC World also reported that the home was still being searched, and the final count of recovered items is not confirmed.
The prosecutor’s office is investigating the shooting as a suspected terrorist offense. The killings in Ostrowiec and Krakow are under review as likely committed by the same perpetrator. The home search is continuing, and Poland’s two days of national mourning are underway.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.