Poland says 6 killed in shooting in central Krakow

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Poland’s police said on Saturday that six people were killed and around a dozen wounded after a gunman opened fire in the historic centre of its second city, Krakow.</p> <p>A man drove a car onto Krakow’s Main Square and began shooting at random people, said police. Officers shot a suspect who is now in custody, they added.</p> <p>“As a result of the incident, five people were killed and around a dozen others were wounded,” a Krakow police spokesman told <em>AFP</em> by phone.</p> <p>“The perpetrator was shot by police” and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/kwpkrakow/status/2119086752166269374'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/kwpkrakow/status/2119086752166269374"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>The gunman acted alone and is Polish, a police spokeswoman told <em>AFP</em>.</p> <p>“There is one perpetrator; it is a Polish man,” she said by phone.</p> <p>An <em>AFP</em> reporter on site noted ambulances and multiple police cars at the scene as police cordoned off the area — one of Poland’s landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.</p> <p>“The police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack,” said Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, calling it “a tragic shooting”.</p> <p>“I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square,” Annette, a woman in her sixties, told <em>AFP</em>. “It’s a tragedy for Krakow, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” she added.</p> <p>The EU’s top diplomat called the incident a “tragedy”, adding that “Poland does not stand alone”.</p> <p>“The tragic loss of life in the shooting in Krakow is a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland,” Kaja Kallas said on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families and the first responders.”</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/kajakallas/status/2119116543300976695'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/kajakallas/status/2119116543300976695"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <h2><a id="dramatic-events" href="#dramatic-events" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>‘Dramatic events’</h2> <p>Deadly shootings are rare in Poland, a European Union and Nato member with 38 million people. But the country was on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a “cult of violence”.</p> <p>Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.</p> <p>The historic city of Krakow, in southern Poland, which was once Poland’s capital, attracts millions of tourists annually. In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people, the city said.</p> <p>Poland’s conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was “in contact with the relevant authorities” and awaiting “a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events”.</p> <p>“The safety of Poles is an absolute priority,” he added.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/NawrockiKn/status/2119093125842862492'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/NawrockiKn/status/2119093125842862492"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.