Six killed in Kraków shooting

Six people were killed and 16 injured in a shooting in Kraków's Rynek Główny square, reported on 7 November 2026, the US news agency Associated Press (AP) reported, citing the authorities. According to the agency, the number of injured rose from 15 to 16. Further details of the attack are still emerging.

Witnesses describe shots fired at people in the square

According to witnesses who spoke to Polish news channel Polsat News, the attacker arrived by car and opened fire on people in the square. Eyewitnesses said visitors scattered and sought shelter in nearby establishments.

Police said the attacker acted alone and was wounded in an exchange of fire with officers, AP reports. The attacker was taken to hospital, Polish television channel Polsat News reports.

Police suggest the weapon may be an AR-15

Police spokeswoman Cisło said the attacker wore military-style clothing and used a military-style long gun. She identified an AR-15 self-loading carbine as a possibility, rather than a definitively established model. The spokeswoman also said numerous other weapons and ammunition were found in the car.

One witness who spoke to Polsat News suggested that they had heard an automatic weapon because of the sequence of shots. That impression does not establish the firing mode and is no substitute for a firearms examination. The description “military-style” is also insufficient for technical identification.

Motive for the attack remains unknown

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński described the suspect as someone with radical, ultranationalist views, AP reported. However, no motive for the attack has yet been officially established. The assessment of his views does not in itself prove why the shooting was carried out.

Key details yet to be established include the final casualty count, the exact model of the weapon and evidence of a motive. The police claim that the attacker acted alone has not so far been independently confirmed.