Six killed, 17 injured in mass shooting in Poland’s Krakow

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Six people were killed and 17 others injured in a mass shooting in the main square of Krakow, southern Poland, in an attack that has shocked the country. Police shot and arrested the suspected gunman, while three additional bodies were later discovered at his home.

The victims in the city-centre attack included four women and two men. Among those killed was a British citizen. The injured included two police officers and five foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said initial findings suggested the attacker may have been influenced by far-right ideology, which investigators will examine. The shooting has raised concerns in a country that has traditionally considered itself safer than several Western European neighbours.

The suspect, a 24-year-old Polish citizen, was taken into police custody after officers exchanged gunfire with him. He was in critical but stable condition following multiple surgeries. Police said the officers involved reached the scene and opened fire on the attacker within three minutes of receiving the first report.

Authorities said the gunman wore military-style clothing and used military weapons. Police spokesperson Andrzej Fijolek identified the weapon as an AR-15 rifle and said the suspect held a firearms licence. Several other weapons and ammunition were also found in his vehicle.

Police began receiving reports at around 3pm local time that a gunman was firing randomly at people from a car in Krakow's Main Market Square, a major tourist destination. Witnesses described people fleeing for cover as shots rang out.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk later announced that three bodies — two women and a man — had been found at the suspect's home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, nearly 200 kilometres north of Krakow. Authorities believe they may be members of his immediate family.

Tusk said investigators used a drone to inspect the property because of possible security risks and concerns that a significant number of weapons could be inside. Residents of the building were reportedly evacuated as counterterrorism officers entered the premises.

Poland's Internal Security Agency and Military Counterintelligence Service are assisting the investigation. The authorities have not yet established a definitive motive for the attack.

The shooting came after a series of school stabbings in October that officials linked to violent and extremist online content.

Interior Minister Kierwinski praised the police response, saying officers had prevented a potentially larger massacre. President Karol Nawrocki announced that Poland would observe national mourning on November 8 and 9.

Messages of condolence and shock came from across Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed sympathy for the victims' families, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the incident as a tragedy extending beyond Poland.