Six dead in Kraków shooting as 24-year-old suspect faces terrorism probe

Attack and victims

On Saturday, 7 November, a 24-year-old Polish man fired from a black Subaru in the Main Market Square of Kraków, Poland's second-largest city, until police shot at him and stopped the car. Six people were killed and 16 were injured, including two police officers, according to most reports, while one outlet put the number of injured at 17. Four of the dead are Polish citizens, one is British and one is Austrian, according to the reports. Of the injured, 15 were described as stable on Sunday, 8 November, among them two police officers who had come out of a coma.

Police also found three bodies at the suspect's family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 200 kilometres away. Police confirmed they were his 53-year-old father, his 52-year-old mother and his 21-year-old sister. Polish media, citing early investigative assessments, reported that the three were shot in their beds, twice in the head each, and that a silencer may have been used.

Polish citizens4

British citizen1

Austrian citizen1

Polish citizens

4 people

British citizen

1 people

Austrian citizen

1 people

Data from the article text

The suspect and the motive

The suspect was wounded in an exchange of fire with police and remains in hospital. The most recent reports describe him in critical condition, although an earlier report called him stable after surgery. Authorities say he had no criminal record and held a firearms licence. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said preliminary findings suggest the suspect acted alone, was strongly influenced by far-right ideologies and held very radical views. Authorities had initially described him as a far-right extremist. Investigators have not established a clear motive, and a specialised unit for terrorism offences is handling the case. An official also said he had no link to the Polish army, after false reports on that point circulated.

The pirate flag

Investigators are examining the emblem he wore on his clothing. It shows a skeleton holding a spear that pierces a heart, a design associated with the pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. Polish media report that the design was first used by US Navy SEAL Team 3, later by other SEAL operators and then by special forces of other countries. It has also been linked to foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Ukrainian forces and to symbols used by members of the Azov Assault Brigade, and in military culture it is tied to the phrase we take no prisoners.

Surgeons at the scene

Professor Michał Pentziwiatr and surgeon Mateusz Wierdak were eating with their families at a restaurant beside the square when they heard the shots. Pentziwiatr's son ran to him, and the two doctors went to the scene, where they treated the injured police officers and the suspect. Wierdak took over care of an officer who had been shot in the chest, using his hands to stop the bleeding. Pentziwiatr insisted that the officer be taken to the John Paul II hospital, which has thoracic and cardiac surgery units. Six volunteers from the Dublin Civil Defence, who were in Kraków on holiday, also helped treat the wounded, and the injured were taken to four different hospitals.

“When you are saving human lives, it does not matter who is who.”

Political fallout

Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared two days of national mourning. On Saturday he wrote on X that politicians of all camps should not exploit the tragedy and promised that every aspect of the criminal act would be clarified. The shooting comes amid a sharp dispute between Tusk's government, which backs the European Union, and a nationalist opposition supported by President Karol Nawrocki. Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała disputed any link to the polarisation in Polish politics.

“In my opinion, we are dealing with the actions of a paranoid person.”

Investigators have found no sign that the suspect belonged to or supported any political party. Poland's gun laws are relatively strict, which makes the attack harder to explain for many observers. On Sunday, 8 November, the old town square reopened with flags at half-mast, and residents came to pay tribute to the victims.