Mass killing in Kraków: attacker shot pedestrians and his family

In Kraków, Poland, on 7 November 2026, a 24-year-old Polish citizen opened fire on random pedestrians in the central Rynek square, killing six people and wounding 16 others, including the attacker. After the man’s arrest, law enforcement found the bodies of three members of his family in his residence in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. The police, prosecutor’s office, and special services are investigating the circumstances of the mass killing, possible motives of the shooter, and the circumstances of his relatives’ deaths.

The attack occurred at about 15:00 local time in central Kraków. According to Polish authorities, the man drove onto Rynek square and began shooting at people in several locations. Witnesses reported that pedestrians tried to hide in nearby alleys, restaurants, cafés, and building entrances. According to city officials, shots were also fired near All Saints Square. While driving, the attacker fired at a first-route tram. A bullet damaged the driver’s cab glass, but passengers and the driver were not hurt. The first report of the shooting reached emergency services at 15:00:15. Chief of Police Marek Boroń said dispatchers received about 40 reports of the attack. By 15:03 officers engaged the shooter in a shootout. Around 30 police units were involved in the operation. The man continued shooting even after being wounded by police. Eventually officers neutralized and detained him. The attacker was hospitalized and underwent surgery. Police said there is currently no basis to believe another person was involved in the attack. Officially, the victims of the shooting included four women and two men. Among the dead were identified three Polish citizens and a British citizen. The identities of two other deceased people were being established at the time of the reports. Among 16 wounded are two police officers and the attacker himself. Foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia, and the United Kingdom were also injured. Two officers suffered serious gunshot wounds during the shootout. According to Marek Boroń, one of them sustained three gunshot wounds. Both policemen underwent surgeries and were in serious condition. Polish authorities said they will provide necessary assistance to the families of the injured officers. Polish law enforcement identified the shooter as a Polish citizen from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. Polish media are naming him Michał O. and report he is 24 years old. According to information published by Polish media citing police, the man had a license to own firearms and had no prior convictions or known record with law enforcement.

During the attack the man wore military clothing and a ballistic vest. According to the Associated Press, he used a long-barrel automatic weapon, and police found additional weapons and ammunition in the car. Reuters reported that the weapon resembled an AR-15 carbine. Final forensic results regarding the weapon and its origin will be determined by investigators. Poland’s interior minister Marcin Kierwiński said the attacker held radical views and was enthralled by ultranationalist ideology. He said preliminary investigation results point to possible influence from far-right ideas. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz described the shooting as a terrorist act. However, the attacker’s final motive has not yet been established, and investigators are checking his past, contacts, and possible ties. A separate line of investigation concerns the three people whose bodies were found in the detained man’s residence in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 150 kilometers from Kraków. Initially Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the deceased were likely the attacker’s closest relatives. On 8 November, spokesperson of the National Police Headquarters Andrzej Fiołek confirmed they were his father, aged 53, his mother, aged 52, and his 20-year-old sister. The bodies showed gunshot wounds. Police seized weapons that were in the house. The circumstances and timing of the three people’s killings are being established separately. Seven prosecutors, the police, and special services are working on the case. Investigators are checking whether the man planned the attack in advance, where he obtained the weapons, and whether he had accomplices. They are also examining possible ideological motives and the circumstances of his family’s deaths. Polish authorities urged people not to spread unconfirmed theories about the reasons for the crime. Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki declared a national mourning on 8 and 9 November. In Kraków local authorities declared mourning through 11 November. Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged political forces to refrain from using the tragedy in domestic political struggles. Security measures were also increased in Warsaw after the attack, including additional traffic restrictions in certain parts of the capital. Mass shootings remain a rare phenomenon in Poland. According to figures cited by the Associated Press, in a country of about 37 million people roughly 411 thousand people hold firearm permits. Interest in acquiring firearms has grown in recent years. The investigation into the Kraków attack will determine under what circumstances a permit holder gained access to the weapon used and whether there were grounds to restrict his right to possess it.