Krakow mass shooting treated as terrorist offence as square reopens

Polish prosecutors say the mass shooting in Krakow that killed six people and injured at least 15 is being treated as an act constituting a terrorist offence. The attack took place on Saturday in the Main Square in the heart of Krakow's Old Town, a major tourist area in Poland's second-largest city. The square has since reopened under police guard, while mourners have begun leaving flowers and candles at the scene.

Authorities said four women and two men were killed, including three Polish citizens, a man from the United Kingdom and a woman from Austria. The two police officers who stopped the gunman remain in hospital, though both were conscious by Sunday afternoon. Poland has entered two days of national mourning, and the country's defence minister has described the attack as an act of terror.

The case has immediate legal and political significance because prosecutors are now pursuing it under a terrorism framework rather than treating it only as a mass-casualty shooting. That designation can shape the scope of the investigation, the charges considered and the public response. It also raises the stakes for a city centre attack in a location that draws large numbers of residents and visitors.

The shooting has also drawn attention because of the international profile of the victims and the location of the attack. Krakow's Old Town is one of Poland's best-known historic districts, and the Main Square is a central public space in daily city life as well as a major tourist hub. The fact that foreign nationals were among the dead underlines the wider impact beyond Poland's borders.

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Investigators are also examining events away from the square. The bodies of the suspect's sister, mother and father were found at the family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 150 kilometres north-east of Krakow, and police said they likely died from gunshot wounds. A video circulating on social media showed a police officer repeatedly shooting the attacker before collapsing himself, but officials have not yet set out a full sequence of events.

What remains unclear is the motive, whether the suspect acted alone and how the wider investigation will develop under the terrorism designation. The suspect's condition may affect how quickly police can question him, while the injuries to the two officers remain a key part of the case. For now, the square has reopened, but the inquiry and the national mourning period show that the consequences of the attack are still unfolding.

Poland has opened a terrorism investigation after a mass shooting in Krakow left six people dead and many others injured. The attack took place on Saturday in the historic centre of the city, one of the country's most visited urban areas. Authorities said the suspect is a 24-year-old Polish national who is now in critical condition after a shootout with police.

The National Prosecutor's Office said it launched the inquiry on Sunday into what it described as the killing of six people and the attempted murder of many others, including police officers. Officials said the suspect used a semi-automatic rifle during the attack. Prime Minister Donald Tusk had already described the incident as an act of terrorism before the formal probe was announced.

Police said a British national was among those killed. Among the 15 wounded were nationals from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia, according to authorities cited by the PAP news agency. Two police officers were injured while chasing the suspect, and one was reported to be in serious but stable condition.

Police also appealed for blood donors for the officer, identified as Jakub Kulik, who confronted the attacker. The case has drawn attention because of the terrorism designation and the reported ideological background of the suspect. Authorities said he was fascinated by far-right ideologies, a detail that may become central to the investigation.

The fact that the attack involved foreign victims also gives the case wider international significance, particularly for countries whose citizens were among the dead and injured. Officials said the suspect opened fire at random in the heart of Krakow's historic centre before fleeing and later engaging police in a shootout. He was described as masked and dressed in military-style clothing, including a bullet-proof vest.

Three more bodies were later found at his home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, around 150 kilometres northeast of Krakow, and police said they were his parents and sister. What remains unclear is the full motive, the sequence of events before the shooting, and whether the terrorism probe will lead to additional charges. The suspect's condition may also affect how quickly investigators can question him.

Authorities have not yet said whether the attack was planned alone or whether anyone else may have been involved.

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