Krakow after the crime - the status of the investigation

Mourning in Krakow after fatal shots - and the investigation continues As of: November 9th, 2026 • 3:02 a.m

Hundreds of people in Krakow came together to remember the six victims who were shot dead in a central square in the city over the weekend. At the same time, the authorities are continuing to investigate - on suspicion of terrorism.

After the devastating gun attack in the tourist hotspot of Krakow, Poland is still in shock - and is looking for answers. Hundreds of people remembered the victims of Saturday's attack, for example at a memorial service last night in Kraków's University Church. People also gathered in the market square where the shooter had shot, lit candles and remembered the victims.

"It's a tragedy - there's nothing more to say about it. There's never been anything like this in Krakow and somehow we have to get through it now," said one of the mourners. In Krakow and throughout Poland the flags are at half-mast and there is two days of national mourning. Cultural events were canceled and psychological emergency numbers were set up. Some cities also increased protection of public spaces.

A man fired from his car in Krakow, killing six people and injuring many more. more

The police are now investigating a terrorist offense, specifically the killing of six people and the attempted murder of numerous others, "and this act had a terrorist character," the public prosecutor's office announced on the X platform.

The suspected shooter is a 24-year-old Pole. The investigators found a total of eleven weapons on him. According to police, he had no criminal record. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said on Saturday evening that the perpetrator was fascinated by "extreme right-wing" ideologies and that this needed to be checked. A day later, he did not take back his words, but emphasized that we had to wait for the investigation.

The motive of the alleged perpetrator remains unclear. Authorities said he was not fit to be interviewed. He was injured during the arrest and has been hospitalized in critical condition ever since. Security forces apparently monitor him around the clock.

A man shot from a car in Krakow, Poland, killing at least six people. more

The suspected perpetrator killed a total of six people between the ages of 32 and 61, and 16 other people were injured, some of them critically. At the same time, the public prosecutor's office said the murder of three people in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski was being investigated.

In the city two hours' drive northeast of Krakow, the shooter's father, mother and sister were found dead and with gunshot wounds in the family home. The evidence suggests that these acts were committed by the same person, it said.

With information from Palina Milling, ARD Studio Warsaw

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Krakow after the crime – status of the investigation | November 8, 2026 | 11:31 p.m