Polish police say a gunman opened fire on pedestrians in the centre of Kraków on Saturday afternoon, killing six people and wounding 15 others, according to tagesschau.de. The suspected attacker was taken into custody, the broadcaster reported.
Among the injured are three police officers. Twelve of the 15 wounded are in critical or life-threatening condition, the Małopolska regional authorities said, as cited by tagesschau.de.
Why it matters
The shooting struck the Great Square, the heart of Poland's second-largest city and one of the country's most visited tourist destinations. Kraków has more than 800,000 residents, and its historic centre — including the Wawel Hill castle and cathedral — is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. An attack in such a crowded, symbolic public space has drawn immediate attention from the country's top leadership.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was being kept continuously informed of developments. Writing on X, he said police were examining the background and all circumstances of the incident. He also issued what he described as an urgent appeal to politicians across the political spectrum not to turn the tragedy into "an instrument of political games." Tusk and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski both set off for Kraków, according to government statements reported by tagesschau.de.
What is known about the sequence of events
According to the authorities, a man drove a car onto the Great Square at around 3 p.m. and fired indiscriminately at passers-by. Officials urged people in the surrounding area to move to a safe location. Videos circulating on social media showed a rescue helicopter landing on the square, and witnesses described "great chaos" at the scene, tagesschau.de reported.
The broadcaster TVN24, citing prosecutors, reported that a 24-year-old Polish citizen was arrested. Kraków police spokeswoman Katarzyna Cislo told the station that the suspect wore military-style clothing and fired a long weapon of the kind used by the military. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed on X that the man was not a member of the Polish armed forces.
The news agency PAP, relying on a photojournalist's account, reported that the suspect collided with another car at an intersection while fleeing. He then jumped out of his vehicle and fired at emergency personnel, who returned fire before detaining him and having him taken to a hospital. Police found numerous parts of additional weapons and ammunition in his car, according to the same account.
A city centre sealed off as the investigation begins
Authorities have not disclosed any information about a possible motive. The focus in the immediate aftermath was on securing the area, treating the wounded and establishing how a single assailant was able to carry out the attack in one of the country's busiest public spaces.
The detail that the suspect was armed with a long firearm and carried further weapon components in his car is likely to shape questions about how the weaponry was obtained and transported. The defence minister's statement that the man had no connection to the army appeared aimed at heading off speculation while the investigation is at an early stage.
The regional authorities' breakdown of casualties — six dead, 15 injured, three of them officers, and 12 in critical condition — suggests the toll could still change as hospitals treat the most seriously wounded.
Saturday's attack also places intense pressure on national politicians. Tusk's appeal against politicisation came within hours of the shooting, a sign of how quickly the event was being drawn into the country's sharply contested public debate.
What happens next will depend on the condition of the wounded and on what investigators establish about the suspect and his motives. Further statements from prosecutors and from the interior minister in Kraków are expected.
