On Saturday at around 3:00 PM, a 24-year-old Polish man drove his car into Kraków's main square and began shooting. The tragedy left six people dead—four women and two men—and fifteen injured, including two police officers. Kraków prosecutor Tomasz Waszczuk stated that the attacker drove in from Sławkowska Street, circled the square, fled, and was captured following a pursuit.
The motive for the attack remains unknown. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the incident as an assassination attempt on X and urged politicians not to exploit the tragedy. Authorities have not released the suspect's name, and the name and biographical details published in the Polish media have not been officially confirmed. Kraków has declared a period of mourning from Sunday until Wednesday, November 11th, Poland's Independence Day, with all municipal events canceled.
Shootout on Dietla Street
Bezprawnik reported that after leaving the main square, the attacker drove toward Stradomska Street, collided with a white car on Dietla Street, got out, and fired at police officers. The patrol returned fire, hitting and subduing him. One officer was shot three times and the other once; the former remains in serious condition following surgery. Citing TVN24 footage, the outlet added that the wounded officer continued to shoot at the attacker before collapsing.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote on X: "Police officers intervened immediately, risking their lives." Wirtualna Polska's live coverage reported that in response to rumors of delayed police action, law enforcement stated that the first patrol took action 23 seconds after the emergency call. The exact time of the arrest has not been disclosed.
Weapons and Military Background
Police reported the use of a long, military-style firearm, and additional firearms and ammunition were found in the car. Radio Kraków, citing Onet's information, reported that the car is registered to the suspect's 52-year-old father, who holds a gun license and owns 11 firearms, and that neither of them had a prior police record. Neither the police nor the prosecution has confirmed the type and origin of the weapon or the suspect's licensing status, and the AR-15 rifle type has only been mentioned by certain news portals.
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the man never had anything to do with the military. However, Super Express, citing sources close to the Ministry of Defense, wrote that the man had participated in military training but was not a soldier. The two statements do not necessarily contradict each other, but no details regarding the nature of the training are available.
Polish Gun Laws
Poland issued a record 50,709 new gun licenses last year, bringing the total number of valid permits to 411,769 by the end of the year, while the number of privately owned firearms exceeded one million. Notes from Poland reported that the number of licenses has more than doubled over a decade, up from 192,819 in 2015. The surge began with the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, during which 87.6 percent more new licenses were issued than in the previous year. Seventy-six percent of the new permits are for sports or collecting purposes. A 2017 estimate showed 2.5 civilian firearms per 100 residents, which was the lowest rate in the European Union.
Licenses are issued by the voivodeship (provincial) police commander if the applicant demonstrates a valid reason—such as sports, collecting, or hunting—passes medical and psychological examinations, has a clean criminal record, is generally over 21 years of age, and successfully passes an exam. Poland 2050, a party within the governing coalition, proposed tightening regulations earlier this year. No official bill has been announced yet in the wake of the attack.