Polish authorities are examining possible far-right ideological influences after the attack in the historic Main Market Square.
KRAKOW, Poland — Six people were killed and 15 others wounded when a gunman opened fire from a car in Krakow’s historic Main Market Square on Saturday, prompting a terrorism investigation and two days of national mourning, authorities said.
The Nov. 7 attack unfolded in the center of Poland’s second-largest city, a major tourist destination crowded with residents and visitors. Police said the suspected attacker, a 24-year-old Polish man, drove into the square and fired at people before officers confronted him. Police shot and wounded the man during the confrontation and took him into custody. He remained hospitalized in critical condition Sunday after surgery.
Authorities said four women and two men were killed. The Associated Press reported that the dead included four Polish citizens, a British man and an Austrian woman. Fifteen other people were wounded in the attack, including two police officers. Polish government statements counted 16 wounded when the suspected gunman was included in the total. Officials said the officers were hospitalized after the confrontation.
Investigators are examining whether extremist beliefs played a role in the attack. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said evidence indicated the suspect had been influenced by radical ultranationalist and far-right ideas. Prosecutors are investigating the shooting as a terrorist offense, according to The Associated Press. Authorities had not announced a final motive or disclosed evidence that the suspected attacker belonged to an organized extremist group.
The investigation also expanded to the suspect’s family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, where authorities found three people dead. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they were members of the suspect’s immediate family. The Associated Press reported Sunday that they were the suspect’s mother, father and sister and that they appeared to have died from gunfire. Investigators continued examining the circumstances of those deaths and their connection to the Krakow attack.
Police recovered weapons from the shooting scene, the suspect’s vehicle and the family home. The Associated Press reported that investigators found 11 firearms in all. Authorities are examining the weapons, the suspect’s communications and his background as they try to determine how the attack was planned and whether anyone else had knowledge of it. Officials have said the evidence so far indicates one attacker carried out the shooting.
The gunfire began at about 3 p.m. Saturday, according to police. Officers reached the area within minutes and confronted the attacker as he continued firing. Two officers were struck during the exchange. Polish officials praised their response, saying the intervention stopped the attack before more people could be harmed. The government also urged the public to rely on official information as investigators worked through evidence and misinformation spread online.
The shooting stunned Poland, where mass shootings of this scale are rare. President Karol Nawrocki declared Nov. 8 and 9 days of national mourning. Krakow also began its own mourning period as residents gathered near the reopened square to leave flowers and candles. The traditional trumpet call from St. Mary’s Basilica, a fixture of life in the square, was temporarily suspended in remembrance of the victims.
Security was increased in other parts of Poland after the shooting. The investigation involves police and national security authorities, while prosecutors continue examining the suspected attacker’s possible ideological influences and the deaths at his family home. No evidence had been publicly released Sunday showing that another person participated directly in the Krakow shooting.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.