Krakow shooting: PM says three bodies found at suspect’s home were likely close family

The Story

A Polish man opened fire in Krakow’s Main Square on Saturday, killing six people and injuring 15 others before police shot and wounded him, authorities said.

The 25-year-old attacker drove to multiple spots in the square and opened fire at each stop with an automatic weapon, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said, adding that investigators believed the man held “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views. “Everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński said at a news conference.

Police said the suspect wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun. Krakow police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło said police found many other weapons and ammunition in his car and that he kept firing at officers even after being shot himself. Cisło said the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.

Authorities said Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters that police found the bodies of three of the suspect’s close family members — two women and a man — inside his home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 150 kilometres northeast of Krakow.

In addition to the six people killed in the attack, authorities said four women and two men were among the victims, including at least three Polish nationals and one U.K. citizen. Police were still trying to identify the other two people who were killed.

Authorities said 13 people were hospitalized in serious condition, though the figure may include the gunman, who underwent surgery after the attack. Police said two police officers were among the injured, including one with serious injuries.

Krakow mayor Łukasz Gibała said the city will be in official mourning until Wednesday and vowed the city will remain open to visitors despite the tragedy. “The square will belong to us again,” Gibała said in a video posted to X.

Police and officials also addressed other reported impacts from the attack. A tram driver reported that a man in a moving car shot at the driver’s cabin around 3 p.m., the Krakow municipal transport company said, and animal rights group OTOZ Animals said the attacker shot two horses; both were alive after being grazed or hit in the leg.