Shooting In Krakow: Poland Declares National Mourning
- 8.11.2026, 11:35
(Updating) World leaders stand with the Polish people.
On Saturday, November 7, a shooting took place at the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland. Police reported that six people were killed. Another 15 people were injured, including two police officers. The attacker—a 24-year-old Polish citizen—was wounded, detained, and taken to the hospital. In the home of Michał O. , who opened fire on people in Kraków , the bodies of two women and a man with gunshot wounds were found in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Police confirmed that the victims were the attacker’s 52-year-old mother, his 53-year-old father, and his 20-year-old sister.
The police officers injured in Kraków—Senior Patrolmen Jakub Kulik and Artur Moranski—who apprehended the attacker are in the hospital, and their condition is serious. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the police officers. Authorities have called on the public to donate blood for one of them, Jakub Kulik.
Sunday marks the first of two days of national mourning following the tragedy in Kraków.
The website Charter97.org is covering developments surrounding the terrorist attack in Kraków.
11:25
Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski:
“We are observing increased activity aimed at spreading false and unverified information. Every such post is being recorded, and Polish authorities are working to counter false narratives.”
11:23
“I am deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events in Krakow,” wrote Japan’s ambassador to Poland Akira Kono. “During this difficult time, we stand in full solidarity with the residents of Kraków and all of Poland,” he assured.
11:10
Krakow’s Main Market Square and the surrounding streets will be closed again. This is to allow for a re-examination of the scene and the collection of evidence, according to a spokesperson for the Lesser Poland Police.
11:00
The St. Mary’s Heynal (trumpet call) was suspended for 12 hours yesterday at 9:00 p.m. as a sign of mourning. This is the first time this has happened since 1939, according to Captain Hubert Cepta, a spokesperson for the Lesser Poland Fire Department.
On Sunday at 9:00 a.m., the heynal sounded again from the tower of St. Mary’s Church.
10:55
The condition of one of the police officers wounded in Saturday’s attack in Kraków is stable, while the other is in serious but stable condition, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Karolina Halecka said Sunday morning.
According to her, the attacker’s condition is also serious but stable.
10:50
“Often on Sundays, when I was busy in the kitchen, I would see this man—a father and his son—get into their car, dressed in camouflage, both in camouflage, carrying some bags, but I never imagined those bags might contain any kind of weapon,” said one of the attacker’s neighbors.
He added that neighbors had said that “the elderly man had a gun permit.” “But that was a topic neighbors didn’t discuss,” he noted.
“I didn’t have the slightest suspicion that a neighbor from my building would turn out to be a murderer. I never even considered such a possibility,” he said.
10:33
The police have issued an appeal for blood donations for Jakub Kulik. “The police officer is seriously injured and needs every drop of blood. We need AB Rh+ blood. We ask anyone who can help to contact any blood donation center throughout Poland,” the appeal states.
It is emphasized that “when donating blood, you must specify that it is intended for Jakub Kulik.”
10:30
A British citizen is among those killed in Saturday’s shooting at the Main Market Square in Kraków. Among the injured are citizens of the United Kingdom, Portugal, Russia, Germany, and Austria. The rest of the victims are Polish, according to a spokesperson for the Governor of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship Maximilian Kosowski.
10:23
“Senior Patrol Officer Jakub Kulik, who was wounded yesterday in the terrorist attack in Kraków, needs our support,” wrote Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
He stated that “AB Rh+ blood is needed.” “Blood can be donated throughout Poland. When donating, please specify that it is intended for Jakub Kulik,” wrote Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“His courage saved the lives of many people. The entire military community is proud of Jakub. We will support him and his loved ones,” he assured.
10:19
“Krakow is visited by many tourists. There was an immediate possibility that foreigners might be among the victims. “Thank you very much for yesterday’s cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which allowed us to forward the information to the embassies before it was published,” wrote Deputy Minister of the Interior and Administration Maciej Duszczyk.
10:17
Here’s how the global media covered the shooting in Krakow.
International media coverage of the shooting in Kraków.
10:10
The attacker remains in critical condition.
10:09
The condition of the injured police officers is better than it was last night, said Krzysztof Klenczar, the governor of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, on TVN24.
09:41
The bodies of the attacker’s 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother, and 20-year-old sister were found in his apartment. The victims had gunshot wounds; they most likely died from gunshots.
There were likely five firearms in the attacker’s car.
09:39
Legal proceedings and examinations will be conducted in daylight. Work has been underway since early this morning.
09:38
The situation remains unchanged at this time. There are still six victims; the condition of the injured has not worsened. The attacker is seriously injured,” said Sub-Inspector Andrzej Fijolek, a spokesperson for the Chief Police Commander, on TVN24.
09:27
The main market square in Kraków is still partially closed; some areas are cordoned off with police tape, but life is gradually returning to normal. Forensic investigators are still working at several locations. “We cannot paralyze the city, so part of the square and the streets leading to it are already open,” said Sub-Inspector Katarzyna Cysło, a spokesperson for the Lesser Poland Police.
Traffic has also resumed on Ditla Street, where the chase after the assailant ended on Saturday, near the intersection with Stradomska Street. The car driven by the 24-year-old man was towed to the police impound lot of the Provincial Police Headquarters. A detailed inspection of the vehicle is scheduled for Sunday.
Two more vehicles at the scene where the chase ended—the car that the attacker’s vehicle crashed into and a police patrol car—are still to be towed. The police have also scheduled an inspection of the tram, which was also shot at by the attacker.
09:21
“Soldiers, we know what to do. Everyone who can donate blood should do so to help the police and all those injured. Commanders—coordinate with blood service units in your garrisons,”,” wrote General Wiesław Kukula, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, in response to a call to donate blood for one of the wounded police officers.
09:04
“It was a shock to us,” admitted one of the foreign tourists who was near the scene of the shooting in Krakow. According to him, he and a group of friends had planned to go to the very spot where the tragedy occurred.
“It was awful, a real nightmare. We were under a lot of stress; we didn’t know what else might happen,” said one of the foreign tourists.
Another foreign tourist said he had come to Kraków as part of a tour. “We were just eating when we heard the gunshots, and we ran. “I didn’t look back; I was really scared,” he said.
08:53
On the night from Saturday to Sunday, Kraków police detained a 23-year-old man who was walking down Kapelanka Street with a knife about 20 centimeters long. During the intervention, warning shots were fired, and then one of the police officers fired at the man but missed, said Sub-Inspector Katarzyna Cysło, spokesperson for the Lesser Poland Police.
As she explained, the police first fired warning shots, but the man did not react. Then one of the officers fired in his direction but missed. “This sobered the man up, and he dropped the knife. The police detained him and took him to the hospital,” said the spokeswoman.
According to initial police reports, the detainee may be a person with mental health issues. Deputy Inspector Cisló emphasized that the nighttime incident was not related to Saturday’s shooting at the Main Market Square in Kraków.
08:51
Two horse-drawn carriage drivers are fighting for their lives, and several others sustained serious injuries in Saturday’s shooting at the Main Market Square in Kraków, according to the Kraków Horse-Drawn Carriage Drivers’ Association.
“This is a terrible tragedy for our community. Today, the victims of a madman were carriage drivers—men and women who, just like every day, came to the Main Market Square to work. Many of our colleagues were injured,” emphasized Dorota Litwińska, the association’s chairwoman, in a statement. According to her, the horses pulling the carriages sustained only superficial injuries.
08:35
Among the injured are, in particular, police officers who are in serious condition. Their condition is stable but life-threatening, TVN24 reporter Maciej Stasiński reported on Sunday morning on TVN24 from outside the University Hospital in Kraków, where some of the injured were taken. According to him, there are “five people there, three in serious condition, two in slightly better condition.”
Stasiński said that most of the injured “underwent life-saving surgeries.”
6:15 a.m.
Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek is calling on people to donate blood for the hero from Kraków. “Senior Patrolman Jakub Kulik, who today, without hesitation, engaged an armed terrorist in combat, is fighting for his life in the hospital. One of his lungs has failed, and he needs every drop of blood. We need AB Rh+ blood,” wrote Żurek.
Those wishing to donate blood can go to blood donation centers throughout Poland. “Today he was saving people in Kraków’s main square. Now let’s help save him,” the minister emphasized.