Parents, sister of far-right Kraków shooter found dead in family home

At least six people were killed and more than a dozen others injured when a gunman suspected to have ties to the far-right opened fire in central Krakow, the second largest city in Poland, on November 8, 2026.

The attack began shortly before 15:00 local time in Krakow's Main Market Square, the bustling central point of the city popular with tourists. Police said a man drove into the square before beginning to fire "at random people from his car". Footage shows scenes of panic as people fled, with the sound of gunfire clearly heard. A passing tram was shot at during the apparently random attack, shattering windows but no passengers were injured.

Armed officers raced to the scene and engaged in a gunfight with the suspect, who was shot within three minutes of the attack beginning, preventing a further massacre, officials said. A 24-year-old man who was arrested died in hospital early on Monday, having undergone surgery for a gunshot wound.

Six people - four women and two men - are confirmed to have been killed in central Krakow. Four victims are Polish, while a British national and an Austrian woman were also killed. Police later confirmed those three victims had been identified as the alleged gunman's 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother and his 21-year-old sister, who were found dead at their family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski when it was searched by police.

The suspect was wearing "military-style attire" and had a military-grade weapon, according to a police spokesperson. However, authorities said he was not a soldier. "Many pieces of weapons and ammunition were found in his vehicle", the spokesperson added. Polish media has reported the suspect had a firearms permit and may have obtained the weapons from his family home. A minister has said early investigations indicate he was inspired by "far-right ideologies". The suspect remained in a critical condition at hospital.

One of the police officers was described as being in a "very critical condition" by a Polish government minister after being shot three times while arresting the attacker. The officer is undergoing surgery. Police spokesperson Katarzyna Cislo told Radio Krakow two women who were sent to hospital following the incident had been released and the remaining individuals in Krakow's hospitals are in a stable condition.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said until now in Poland we haven't had such drastic cases of terrorism. Krakow Mayor Łukasz Gibała has signed an order declaring a period of mourning in the city which will last until Wednesday, 11 November. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "I'm shocked and saddened by the appalling shooting in Kraków today."