Cracovia attacker kills six, injures 15 after ramming car into market square

A 24-year-old man drove his car into a crowded plaza in central Cracovia on Saturday and opened fire, killing six people and wounding 15 others. Police officers shot the attacker, who remains in critical condition after multiple surgeries.

The incident took place in the Market Square, a major tourist hub in the historic center of Poland's second-largest city. The Polish Ministry of Defense classified the event as an act of terror. As of Sunday, the square remained partially closed while investigators worked the scene. Mourners had left candles to honor the victims by nightfall.

Regional Governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar confirmed that four women and two men died in the plaza. Three women and one man were Polish citizens. A British man and a woman from another unidentified country were also among the dead. Five non-Polish citizens were injured, representing the United Kingdom, Portugal, Russia, Germany, and Austria.

Police discovered three additional bodies at the attacker's family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, located approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Cracovia. The victims were identified as the attacker's mother, father, and sister. Authorities stated that the family members likely died from gunshot wounds.

Two police officers who subdued the attacker are hospitalized. Klęczar reported that one officer remains in a coma, while the other has regained consciousness. Officials have requested blood donations to support the more critically injured officer. Klęczar noted that the efficient and selfless intervention of these two young officers likely prevented a higher casualty count.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński described the attacker's beliefs as very radical and ultranationalist. Kierwiński stated in a press conference that evidence indicates the man was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Early reports on Saturday gave the attacker's age as 24, then 25, before officials confirmed on Sunday that he is 24.

The attacker's father legally owned more than 10 firearms, and the son also possessed weapons. Approximately 411,000 people in Poland hold gun permits, a number that has been rising in the country of 37 million residents. Mass shootings are rare in Poland, but three attacks occurred at schools in the Mazovia province in mid-October over four days, leaving one person dead and many injured.

Kacper Rekawek, a lead researcher at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, observed that the attacker's military-style equipment and appearance resembled other far-right lone actors who have carried out attacks across Europe. Rekawek noted that while previous attempts have occurred, this is the first time such an attack has been successful in Poland.