Six killed in Kraków market attack, followed by a wave of disinformation

The attack and its toll

On Saturday afternoon, 7 November, an attacker drove onto the Main Market Square in Kraków and opened fire on passers-by. Six people were killed and 16 were injured, among them two police officers and the attacker, who died in hospital early on Monday, 9 November. Reports describe the attacker as a 24-year-old man. Police in Małopolska publicly rejected online claims that there had been two attackers and that one of the officers who stopped him had died.

Disinformation within hours

The Ministry of Digital Affairs set up an emergency crisis team with NASK, the research institute whose disinformation analysis centre tracks online narratives, at 17:00 on Saturday. The team, working with the special services, met every four to five hours, including overnight. Within the first 24 hours the ministry reported more than 2,000 accounts to platforms for moderation, including automated bots posting in Polish, English, French and Dutch. Dozens of accounts used Russian, carried Cyrillic in their names or descriptions, or referred to the Russian Federation. In an interview with Polsat News on Monday evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said more than 3,000 accounts had been reported within a day of the attack, and that the figure had since reached close to 4,000.

Narratives and reach

Many of the false claims targeted the state itself. One said the government had organised the attack with support from the European Union to cancel the Independence March. Another suggested officials wanted an alibi to stop the 11 November commemorations. NASK's analysis centre put the reach of a claim that the attacker was a soldier at about 18 million, and of a claim tying the shooting to protests at the Constitutional Tribunal at up to 14 million. Other posts claimed the attacker was of Ukrainian origin or had army ties, or that the attack had been staged with extras. The ministry said mentions peaked around 18:00 on Saturday and that the top narratives had passed 200 million views that day. Gawkowski said Russian support for these narratives had been identified, while stressing that accounts with Russian links do not by themselves establish where an operation came from or who coordinated it.

Attacker was a soldier18

Linked to Constitutional Tribunal protests14

Attacker was a soldier

18 million views

Linked to Constitutional Tribunal protests

14 million views

Data from the article text

A fake photo and a political row

Early on Monday an AI-generated image appeared, showing Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński embracing the attacker. Karolina Gałecka, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, wrote on X that the picture was a fake and that profiles linked to Telewizja Republika had spread it, among others.

“It is not a photo but a fake photomontage generated by AI.”

Konrad Berkowicz, a Konfederacja MP, accused the Interior Ministry of rushing to link the attacker with far-right circles before investigators had established the facts. He also said that officials now warning about online manipulation had themselves shared false reports, including a claim that the president had allegedly shoved Anna Korwin-Piotrowska when he entered the Constitutional Tribunal.

Prosecutors and next steps

Gałecka said the ministry was securing the material and that the case would go to prosecutors. She added that the content was a deliberate act of misleading the public.

“It is a deliberate and crude attempt to mislead public opinion.”

Gawkowski said material had been passed to the Central Cybercrime Bureau (CBZC), that police analysis would take some time, and that anyone who breached the criminal code by posting such content would face consequences. He said the goal of the campaign was to stir up fear, fuel hatred, antagonise Poles and undermine trust in the state and its institutions. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek announced action against the deliberate spread of false information. The ministry said it was also working with the anti-terrorism centre of the ABW in a 'War Room' format.