A tragic mass shooting unfolded Saturday afternoon in Krakow’s Old Town Main Square, a popular tourist hub. A 24‑year‑old Polish attacker, dressed in military‑style clothing and a bullet‑proof vest, drove his vehicle into the crowd and began firing, killing six people and injuring 15.
Victims and Witnesses
Four women and two men lost their lives. Three of the women and one man were Polish; the other victims included a man from the United Kingdom and a woman from Austria. The wounded represented a range of nationalities, including Britain, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria.
Witness Magdalena Frączak, a Warsaw native visiting Krakow, recounted shielding an elderly woman and sustaining shrapnel injuries to her back as the gunman passed just a meter behind her.
Police Response
Police officers engaged the shooter, wounding him. Despite his injuries, the gunman continued firing until officers finally subdued him. Both officers remained hospitalized, with one emerging from a coma on Sunday.
Police later discovered the bodies of the suspect’s parents and sister at his family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 150 km northeast of Krakow. All three appear to have died from gunshot wounds.
Investigation and Motive
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński described the attacker’s ideology as radical and ultranationalist, noting a fascination with far‑right ideas. Prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation, treating the incident as a terrorist offense.
Authorities recovered four firearms at the scene and seized additional weapons from the family home, bringing the total to eleven guns. The attacker’s father legally owned more than ten firearms, and the suspect himself possessed firearms.
Community Impact
In tribute to the victims, the traditional St. Mary’s Trumpet Call—played hourly from the basilica tower—was paused for the first time since World War II. A memorial service at St. Anne’s Church drew mourners, and the square reopened Sunday evening with flowers and candles laid in remembrance.
Poland, a nation of roughly 37 million people with about 411,000 gun permits, rarely experiences mass shootings. Researchers note the attack resembles recent far‑right “lone wolf” incidents across Europe.
Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.
