Poland Says Six Killed In Shooting In Krakow’s Center

Six people were killed and at least 15 wounded Saturday, November 7, when a gunman opened fire in the landmark historic center of Poland’s city of Krakow, the country’s deadliest shooting in decades.

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the gunman appeared to be “fascinated by far-right ideologies.” Five foreigners were among the wounded hospitalized victims of the shooting and “one person, a foreign national” among the killed, he added. “The death toll now stands at six: four women and two men,” the police said on X. Over a dozen others – including police officers – were wounded.

The man – a Polish citizen born in 2002 – drove a car onto Krakow’s Main Market Square and began shooting at random people, said police. The gunman was shot by police and was taken to hospital for treatment, regional police said. In his car, “police officers discovered other firearms and a large quantity of ammunition,” Krakow police spokesperson Katarzyna Cislo told private broadcaster TVN24.

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) at the scene saw ambulances and multiple police cars as police cordoned off the area – one of Poland’s landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

“Everything suggests that the perpetrator held very, very radical views. A number of weapons were found in the car he was driving,” Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said. “Everything suggests that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies” and held “ultra-nationalist views,” he added. The man was wearing military-style clothing at the time of the attack, said Kierwinski.

Tusk praises ‘heroic’ police

Andrzej Fijolek, spokesman for the chief of police, said the attacker had used a semi-automatic rifle similar to the American AR-15. In his car, police officers discovered “a large quantity of ammunition,” Krakow police spokeswoman Katarzyna Cislo told private broadcaster TVN24.

The authorities have not yet disclosed the nationalities of the victims of the attack, Poland’s deadliest shooting since the fall of communism in 1989.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who headed to Krakow following the attack, called it “a tragic shooting” and said the police were investigating all the circumstances. “Our highest praise goes to the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty,” Tusk said.

Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, a European Union and NATO member of 38 million people. But the country has been on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a “cult of violence.”

Poland is also seeing a sharp rise in the number of firearms licences. In 2025, more than 50,000 new licences were issued, bringing the total to 411,000, according to police figures.

Poland’s conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was awaiting “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events.” “The safety of Poles is an absolute priority,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his condolences, saying that “Ukraine stands in solidarity with Poland and the Polish people. People have the right to safety.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on X that “Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with Poland as a friend and partner during these difficult times.”

The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, described the shooting as “a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland.” US Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose, posting on X, said: “America stands with Poland at this dark hour as Poland stands with her beloved citizens of Krakow.”

George V Magazine with AP and AFP