Polish investigators are treating a deadly shooting in Krakow as a suspected act of terrorism after a gunman opened fire on people in the city’s crowded market square, killing at least six and injuring 15 in an attack authorities believe may have been driven by far-right ideology.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Polish national, was arrested shortly after the assault on Saturday afternoon. He remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Police said he had been wearing military-style clothing and was carrying a long rifle when officers detained him.
A British citizen was among those killed, while five other foreign nationals injured in the shooting were from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and the UK, according to a spokesperson for Poland’s interior ministry.
The attack took place at about 3pm, when the gunman drove into the busy square in a black Subaru and began firing at people from the vehicle, according to the Małopolska police. Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city, is a major tourist destination and its central market square is typically crowded with residents and visitors.
Interior minister Marcin Kierwinski said the suspect held “very radical views” and “was fascinated by far-right ideologies”. Defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz described the shooting as an “act of terror”, although investigators have yet to establish a definitive motive.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk also told a crisis meeting that the bodies of two women and one man had been discovered at the suspect’s home, nearly 200km north of Krakow. He said there were “strong indications that they are members of his immediate family”. Authorities have not publicly established how the deaths are connected to the shooting.
The suspect was identified by police as a Polish national from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. According to local media, neither he nor his father had a criminal record. Polish reports said the father’s 11 registered firearms included weapons that investigators are examining as part of their inquiries. The car used in the attack was also reportedly registered to him.
Police are investigating what equipment the gunman had access to and whether he had links to extremist networks. Reports said officers found a military-style backpack, ammunition magazines and a bayonet in the vehicle’s boot. The Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime is analysing the suspect’s online activity to determine whether he was connected to radical groups.
The defence minister said the suspect was not a soldier and had no links to the military. Police believe he used an AR-15-style rifle during the attack.
Witness accounts described scenes of panic as gunfire erupted in the square. Unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show people fleeing as shots rang out and police sirens sounded. Other clips showed people lying on blood-stained paving stones as bystanders attempted to provide emergency assistance.
“I saw shots being fired from the driver’s side window, and smoke was coming out,” a witness identified only as Konrad told Polish news website Interia. He said he ran towards a police station in the square, where he found people sheltering on the floor.
A 67-year-old witness, identified as Julek, told Reuters that he saw a dark car appear suddenly before its driver began shooting at a group of people and drove away.
“If we had been two minutes earlier, we might have been shot,” he said.
Kierwinski praised the police response, saying officers had intervened within minutes of receiving the first report.
“The police prevented a much larger massacre that could have otherwise occurred,” he said. “They fired shots at the attacker just three minutes after receiving the report.”
The British government expressed condolences after confirming that a UK national was among those killed. Prime minister Andy Burnham said he was “shocked and saddened” by the attack and offered his thoughts to the victims’ families, those injured and everyone affected by the violence.
“The United Kingdom stands in solidarity with the people of Poland,” he said.
Foreign secretary Ed Miliband said the government “deeply mourns the British national and other victims who have died after the appalling attack in Krakow”. The Foreign Office advised British nationals in the city to follow instructions from local authorities and monitor local media.
The attack prompted expressions of solidarity from across Europe. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the shooting as “shocking”, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called it “a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland”.
Krakow mayor Łukasz Gibała announced an official period of mourning until Wednesday, but said the city would remain open to visitors.
“The square will belong to us again,” he said.
For investigators, the immediate priority is to establish whether the suspect acted alone, how he obtained his weapons and whether the attack was planned or directed by an extremist network. The discovery of three bodies at his home has added another disturbing dimension to the inquiry.
The scale of the violence, its apparent ideological backdrop and the presence of international victims have turned the shooting into a major security concern for Poland. But until investigators establish the precise motive and circumstances, the full nature of the attack remains unresolved.
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