Five Killed as Gunman Opens Fire in Krakow's Main Market Square

Five people were killed and more than a dozen wounded on Saturday when a gunman opened fire in the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, police said. The attack struck one of Europe's most celebrated historic squares on a busy Saturday afternoon, in a country generally regarded as one of the continent's safest destinations.

According to police, a man drove into the square, known locally as Rynek Glowny, at about 3 p.m. local time and began firing at random people from inside his vehicle, near Slawkowska Street and St Mary's Basilica. A tram was fired at first at nearby All Saints' Square, according to the city's transport operator. Officers confronted the gunman and shot him during the arrest; he was wounded, detained and taken to hospital. Police said the suspect was a Polish citizen who acted alone, and later reports identified him as a 25-year-old man.

The casualty toll rose through the afternoon as the scale of the attack became clear. Early reports put the death toll at two, then three, before police confirmed five dead and more than a dozen injured, including police officers. At least 15 people were taken to hospital, and three police officers were among the wounded, one of them in critical condition with three gunshot wounds. The gunman was dressed in military-style clothing and armed with a military-type long firearm, and police later found a substantial cache of additional firearms and ammunition in his vehicle.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the shooting tragic and said police were investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski travelled to the scene, and President Karol Nawrocki said he was deeply concerned, with the head of the National Security Bureau on his way to Krakow. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said prosecutors were at the scene and that the attacker would be held strictly to account. Krakow's city authorities confirmed on social media that people had been killed and injured after shots were fired in the square.

The motive remains unknown. No group has claimed responsibility, and officials have not labelled the attack terrorism. Police have warned against unverified speculation, and early claims circulating online about the attacker's identity or allegiance should be treated as unverified. What is established is that the suspect acted alone: police explicitly denied reports that a second assailant was being sought.

The attack occurred at the very heart of Krakow's tourism industry. The medieval Main Market Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws millions of visitors a year, is surrounded by historic buildings, restaurants, cafes and hotels, and is home to the Cloth Hall and St Mary's Basilica. The square was cordoned off as firefighters, police and ambulances converged on the scene, and the city fell silent as the news spread. For Poland, which has seen nothing on this scale in recent memory, the investigation now turns to the question no official has yet been able to answer: why.