The key facts

  • On November 7, a man drove a car onto the Market Square in central Krakow and opened fire; six people were killed, including a police officer, and 15 were wounded
  • Poland's defense minister refuted reports that the shooter was a soldier of the Polish Armed Forces
  • The suspect is a 24-year-old Polish citizen; he was detained after being wounded and is in stable condition

Defense minister's rebuttal

The man who carried out the shooting in central Krakow on November 7 was not a member of the military. This was stated by Poland's Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on the social network X: according to him, the perpetrator of the attack «was not and is not a soldier of the Polish army and has never had anything to do with the military». Thus, the head of the ministry refuted the report by the outlet Onet, which claimed that the shooter turned out to be a former member of the Polish armed forces. The contradiction between these versions has not been resolved as of the time of publication.

What happened in Krakow

The attack took place on November 7: a man drove a car onto the Main Market Square in central Krakow, opened fire on pedestrians, and then drove on for about another kilometer and a half, continuing to shoot. As a result, six people were killed, including a police officer, and 15 more were wounded; according to Life.ru, 12 of the victims are in critical condition, and doctors are fighting for their lives. The Krakow authorities declared mourning from November 8 through November 11 inclusive.

Detention and condition of the suspect

The attacker, dressed in camouflage uniform, tried to flee but crashed into another car. During the detention, one of the law enforcement officers fired seven shots at the attacker; the shooter was taken to a hospital and operated on, and is now in stable condition. According to the Polish prosecutor's office, the suspect is a 24-year-old Polish citizen; media report that he used a semi-automatic rifle from the AR-15/M4 family. Kosiniak-Kamysz also said that after the shooting he is maintaining contact with the interior minister, the voivode, and the services, promised that the investigation will establish all the circumstances and motives of the attacker, and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. The motives of the attack have not yet been officially named.