Six Dead After Man Drives Into Krakow Square and Opens Fire
The 25-year-old gunman, described by officials as holding ultranationalistic views, killed four women and two men before police shot him.
By Zoe Harrison ·
Six people died when a man drove a car into Main Square in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday and opened fire with an automatic weapon.
The attacker, a 25-year-old man, drove to multiple locations in the busy square and shot at crowds at each stop. Fifteen other people were injured in the attack.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the gunman holds very radical and ultranationalistic views. Kierwiński added that everything indicates the man was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Defense Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz described the incident as an act of terror.
Police shot the gunman and wounded him after he engaged in a wild ride around the square. He continued firing at officers even after being hit. The attacker wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest while using a military-type long gun. Police found additional weapons and ammunition inside his car.
Four women and two men were killed in the shooting. At least three of the women were Polish citizens, and one victim was a U.K. citizen. Authorities were still working to identify the two other people who died. Thirteen people were hospitalized in serious condition, a number that may include the gunman, who underwent surgery.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said officials found the bodies of three close family members of the suspect inside his home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. The home is located about 150 kilometers northeast of Krakow. The family members consisted of two women and a man. Tusk told reporters that these deaths represented the next acts of the tragedy.
Krakow Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared that the city will observe official mourning until Wednesday. He stated that Krakow will remain open to visitors despite the tragedy. Gibała posted a video on X saying the square will belong to the residents again.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced increased security measures in the Polish capital. These measures include road barriers along main streets in the old town. Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland, though three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia occurred within four days in mid-October, leaving one person dead and many wounded.
