Crimeupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 6 April 2025Man Fires From Car In Krakow Main Market Square, Kills Five, Police Detain Suspect
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Five killed and about a dozen injured in shooting near Krakow's Main Market Square. The attacker fired from a car and was detained after being shot and hospitalized.
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Car attack in Krakow
A man drove onto Krakow’s Main Market Square and began firing at random people from his car, and five people were killed with around a dozen others wounded, according to police statements cited by Al Jazeera and the BBC. Police said the suspect was shot by officers and detained, and the suspect was transported to hospital after sustaining injuries, with police also saying police officers were among the wounded. The shooting unfolded near the main market square in southern Poland, and the BBC described the area as cordoned off while police sent people away from the streets leading to the square.
The BBC reported that an eyewitness described running into a restaurant and waiting upstairs until they heard “silence,” but the witness said no silence came and she next heard the noise of a helicopter. Police said the gunman was wearing military-style attire, and the police spokesperson said officers used their weapons during the arrest but the man returned fire, resulting in two police officers being among the injured.
Officials and eyewitness accounts
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident “tragic” and said he was being kept informed by the Minister of the Interior about the situation in Krakow, while President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, those affected, and their families. Tom Rose, the US ambassador to Poland, wrote on X that “We are just learning details of the horrific mass shooting in Krakow,” and he said “America stands with Poland at this dark hour.” A BBC eyewitness, Tali, told Reuters that she ran inside a restaurant and wanted to wait upstairs until they heard “silence,” but she said no silence came because she next heard the noise of a helicopter.
The BBC reported that a police spokesperson said, “During the arrest, officers used their weapons, but the man returned fire; as a result, two police officers are among the injured.” The Guardian said Małopolska region police told tvn24 that the Krakow attacker wore “military style” clothing and used “military type firearms,” and it said more weapons were secured in his car.
Investigation and public safety
Justice minister Waldemar Żurek appealed for calm and said the perpetrator will be “severely punished,” while prosecutors, police, and all relevant services worked at the scene securing evidence and investigating the circumstances of the attack. The Guardian said the incident has been contained with no other suspects, and it said police started to receive reports at around 3 p.m. that someone in a car had been shooting randomly people who entered the square. The BBC said the area of the Main Market Square has been cordoned off and police were sending people away from the streets leading to the square, as a heavy police presence remained in central Krakow.
Polish police told AFP that a man drove into the Main Market Square in Kraków and began shooting at pedestrians indiscriminately, and police said they managed to subdue the attacker after he was shot and took him to hospital. The AFP account said the incident killed five people and injured 12 others, while the BBC and Al Jazeera both described around a dozen wounded, and the BBC said police were sending people away as the investigation continued.