Six killed in shooting in Kraków’s Main Market Square

A gunman killed six people and wounded about 15 more on Saturday afternoon in the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland, in an attack the country’s defence minister called an act of terror.

Kraków police said the shooting happened at about 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET), when the suspect drove into the square and began firing at random. Police said four women and two men were killed. Outlets reporting the attack gave the number of wounded as 15 or 16, and a police officer was seriously wounded and was undergoing surgery, according to reports.

The suspect was shot and wounded in a gunfight with officers, according to The Associated Press. Reports describe him as a 25-year-old Polish citizen. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the shooting an act of terror. Poland’s interior minister said the gunman was fascinated with far-right ideologies, and CNN reported that a Polish minister said he held far-right views. Authorities had not said what motivated the attack, and details could change as the investigation continues.

The Main Market Square, known in Polish as Rynek Główny, is the centrepiece of Kraków’s Old Town and one of the busiest tourist destinations in Poland, which is why the attack drew a large number of international reactions within hours. Messages of support for Poland came from the U.S. and U.K. ambassadors to Poland, Lithuania’s president and the European Union’s top diplomat, according to Polish and international media.

For Canadians, the Government of Canada’s travel advice for Poland reads “Take normal security precautions” and was last updated on Sept. 9, 2026. It makes no mention of Kraków, and it had not been revised in response to the shooting at the time of writing. Canadians in Poland can register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service and follow instructions from local authorities. None of the coverage reviewed by Canada News Media reported Canadian victims, and Global Affairs Canada had not issued a public statement about the attack.

The shooting comes as Poland is already in a period of political tension. Canada News Media has reported on Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s court standoff and on police being deployed in Warsaw after the suspension of the country’s top court chief. Canada and the European Union also recently announced a new alliance, which ties Ottawa more closely to European security and economic issues.

The attack was one of the most searched topics in Canada on Saturday, with the search term “Krakow shooting” among the fastest-rising on Google Trends Canada, at more than 10,000 searches.

This is a developing story. Figures on the dead and wounded come from police and media reports and may change. Sources: Kraków police, The Associated Press, CBC News, CNN and NBC News.

Pictured: Main Market Square in Kraków, file photo from February 2024, not from the attack. Photo: Silar, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.

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