A shooting left at least five dead and around ten injured on Saturday in the center of Krakow, Poland's second city, according to police. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that law enforcement officers have arrested the shooter and that an investigation is underway.
Published on: 07/11/2026 - 16:29 Modified on: 07/11/2026 - 17:41
A “tragic shooting”. At least five people were killed in a shooting on Saturday, November 7, in the center of Krakow, the second largest city in Poland, reports the police, who say they have arrested the shooter.
Around 3 p.m., the assailant drove into the main square of the old town, which was very busy on this weekend day, and began shooting "at random", according to a spokesperson for the local police.
“The perpetrator was neutralized by the police and shot and injured (...) five people were killed and around ten others were injured,” said this source. The shooter is of Polish origin and was taken to hospital after being apprehended, police said.
An AFP journalist saw people lying on the ground, numerous emergency vehicles and armed police officers.
A “tragedy” for Krakow
“It’s a tragedy for Krakow, we have never experienced something like this. I saw a man going around the square and shooting people,” a witness, Annette, aged around sixty, told AFP on the spot. Like her, many witnesses were very shocked, crying, taking refuge in neighborhood stores.
The police said in a statement that several police officers were among the injured. Prime Minister Donald Tusk deplored “a tragic shooting”.
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The President of the Polish Republic, Karol Nawrocki, expressed his "tremendous concern" and declared on X that he was "in contact with the competent authorities" and that he was awaiting "a full explanation of the circumstances of these dramatic events". “The security of Poles is an absolute priority,” he added.
The Minister of the Interior, Marcin Kierwinski, announced that he would go there on Saturday evening.
High alert state
Fatal shootings are rare in this Eastern European country of 38 million people, a member of the EU and NATO.
But the country was on high alert after a series of knife attacks in October, which Tusk denounced as part of a "cult of violence" fueled by social media.
Warsaw, Ukraine's steadfast ally since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations Moscow rejects.
Krakow, in southern Poland, is an ancient, historic capital that attracts millions of tourists every year.
In 2025, it welcomed 16.2 million visitors, the municipality said.
With AFP
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