Poland declares two days of mourning after mass shooting in Krakow

Poland began a two-day period of national mourning on Sunday after a gunman drove into Krakow's Main Square and opened fire, killing six people and injuring 15 others. The defence minister described the incident as an "act of terror". The attack occurred on Saturday in the historic Old Town, a major tourist area, and the square remained partially closed while investigators continued their work.

Four women and two men were among the dead, including three Polish nationals, a British man and a woman of unidentified foreign nationality, according to the regional governor. Five foreign nationals from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria were among the wounded. Two police officers who stopped the shooter were hospitalized; one remains in a coma while the other has regained consciousness. Authorities have appealed for blood donations to aid the seriously injured officer.

The suspect, confirmed to be 24 years old, was shot by police and is in critical condition after multiple operations. Prosecutors have opened a murder and attempted murder investigation, classifying the act as a terrorist offence. Police also discovered three dead bodies at the suspect's family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, identified as his sister, mother and father, likely victims of gunshot wounds.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the attacker held "very radical" and "ultranationalistic" views and was fascinated by far-right ideologies. The attacker’s father legally owned more than ten firearms, and investigators seized a total of 11 weapons from the family home and the suspect’s possession.

The incident marks a rare mass shooting in Poland, where gun ownership is limited to about 411,000 permit holders in a population of 37 million. The International Center for Counterterrorism noted the attacker’s equipment resembled that used by other extreme-right lone actors in Europe, suggesting a growing pattern of such attacks.