Poland says six killed after gunman opens fire in Krakow's historic centre

Poland's police said on Saturday that six people had been killed and a dozen wounded after a gunman opened fire in the landmark historic centre of its second city of Krakow.

The man -- a Polish citizen -- drove a car onto Krakow's Main Market Square and began shooting at random people, said police. Officers shot a suspect who is now in custody, they added.

"The death toll now stands at six: four women and two men," the police said on X. A dozen others -- including police officers -- were wounded.

An AFP reporter on site noted ambulances and multiple police cars at the scene as police cordoned off the area -- one of Poland's landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

"The perpetrator was shot by police" and was transported to a hospital, regional police said on X. 

The police added that the man had been clad in military fatigues at the moment of the attack and was armed with a long gun.

In his car, "police officers discovered other firearms and a large quantity of ammunition", Krakow police spokeswoman Katarzyna Cislo told private broadcaster TVN24.

The police did not say what the motive was or disclose nationalities of the victims of the attack.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who headed to Krakow following the attack, called it "a tragic shooting" and said the police were investigating all the circumstances.

"Our highest praise goes to the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty," Tusk said.

Witnesses told AFP they saw people seeking shelter in shops and restaurants in the usually bustling streets around the Main Market Square.

"I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square," Annette, a woman in her sixties, told AFP.

"It's a tragedy for Krakow, we've never seen anything like this before," she added.

Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, a European Union and NATO member of 38 million people.

But the country was on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a "cult of violence".

Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.

The historic city of Krakow in southern Poland -- once Poland's capital -- attracts millions of tourists annually.

In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people, the city said.

"I am receiving dozens of messages from foreign ministers from all over the world offering their condolences," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on social media.

Poland's conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was awaiting "a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events".

"The safety of Poles is an absolute priority," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered condolences, condemning what he called "a shocking crime".

"Ukraine stands in solidarity with Poland and the Polish people. People have the right to safety," he said on social media.

The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the shooting was "a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland", adding: "My thoughts are with the victims and their families and the first responders."

US Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose, posting on X, said: "America stands with Poland at this dark hour as Poland stands with her beloved citizens of Krakow."