Kraków (Poland) (AFP) – Poland's police said on Saturday five people had been killed and around a dozen wounded after a gunman opened fire in the historic centre of its second city of Krakow.

Issued on: 07/11/2026 - 17:23Modified: 07/11/2026 - 18:04

A man -- a Polish citizen -- drove a car onto Krakow's Main Square and began shooting at random people, said police. Officers shot a suspect who is now in custody, they added.

"As a result of the incident, five people were killed and around a dozen others were wounded," a Krakow police spokesman told AFP by phone.

"The perpetrator was shot by police" and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X. They added that the man had acted alone and that police officers were among the wounded.

An AFP reporter on site noted ambulances and multiple police cars at the scene as police cordoned off the area -- one of Poland's landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

There was no immediate information about nationalities of the victims of the attack.

"The police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack," said Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, calling it "a tragic shooting".

"Our highest praise goes to the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty," Tusk said.

His spokesman said Tusk was heading to Krakow following the attack.

"I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square," Annette, a woman in her sixties, told AFP.

"It's a tragedy for Krakow, we've never seen anything like this before," she added.

Witnesses told AFP they saw people seeking shelter in shops and restaurants in the usually bustling streets around the Main Square.

'Dramatic events'

Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, a European Union and NATO member of 38 million people.

But the country was on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a "cult of violence".

Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.

The historic city of Krakow in southern Poland -- once Poland's capital -- attracts millions of tourists annually.

In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people, the city said.

"I am receiving dozens of messages from foreign ministers from all over the world offering their condolences," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on social media.

Poland's conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was "in contact with the relevant authorities" and awaiting "a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events".

"The safety of Poles is an absolute priority," he added.

"Ukraine stands in solidarity with Poland and the Polish people. People have the right to safety," he said on social media.

© 2026 AFP

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