in Poland's deadliest shooting since the fall of communism in 1989. The suspect, a Polish citizen born in 2002, drove a car onto the landmark square in Poland's second city and began shooting at random people with a semi-automatic rifle similar to an American AR-15, police said. Wearing military-style clothing, he continued walking around the square firing until two officers intervened. Both officers were wounded before the gunman was shot, detained and taken to hospital, while a number of weapons were later found in his car.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said everything suggests the perpetrator held very radical, ultra-nationalist views and was fascinated by far-right ideologies. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack an act of terrorism and announced two days of national mourning, praising the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty. Hours later, three more bodies — two women and a man — were found at the suspect's home, with Tusk saying there was much to suggest they were members of his immediate family. Police chief Marek Boron confirmed a British national was among those killed in the square, five foreigners were among the wounded in hospital, and two victims remain unidentified, as authorities have not yet disclosed all nationalities. The usually bustling tourist hotspot, which welcomed 16.2 million visitors in 2025, was sealed off Saturday evening as heavily armed police, ambulances and forensic investigators cordoned the area. Witnesses told of panic as people took refuge in shops and restaurants, with one woman saying, "It's a tragedy for Krakow, we've never seen anything like this before," while others described desperate attempts to resuscitate the wounded and stem bleeding with clothes. Condolences came from Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and EU diplomat Kaja Kallas, while President Karol Nawrocki demanded a full explanation and stressed Poles' safety as an absolute priority. The attack comes as Poland, an EU and NATO member of 38 million where deadly shootings are extremely rare, has been on high alert after October stabbings, warnings of Russian sabotage, and a sharp rise to 411,000 firearms licences. (Bssnews)