Five killed in shooting on Krakow's main market square, Polish police say

Five people were killed and more than 10 were wounded on Saturday when shots were fired on the main market square in Krakow, Poland, according to Polish police. The Times of Israel reported that a police spokesperson told Reuters officers started getting reports at around 3 p.m. local time of a car entering the square with someone inside shooting at random people.

Police wrote on X that the perpetrator had been shot by officers and was being taken to hospital. Haaretz, in a report written with Reuters, carried the same figures attributed to police. A Reuters photograph published by The Jerusalem Post showed emergency workers at the scene near the square on November 7, 2026.

How the death toll rose

Early reports put the number of dead lower. The first Ynet alert, issued shortly after the shooting, said 2 people had been killed. A follow-up alert said 2 were dead and at least 10 injured, with the shooter in custody. Ynet then reported the toll had climbed to at least 3, and soon afterwards to 5. All the later reports from the six news organisations reviewed here, including the Polish police statement, give five dead.

The number of injured is less settled. Polish police, as quoted by The Times of Israel and Haaretz, said more than 10 were hurt. Ynet and the Israeli outlet News.co.il both put the figure at 12. Ynet also reported that police officers were among the wounded.

Conflicting accounts of the shooter's arrest

The reports agree that the gunman was stopped, but describe the arrest differently. Ynet said he opened fire from a car and was detained while attempting to escape. The police post on X, as cited by The Times of Israel, said officers shot him and he was being taken to hospital. N12, the news arm of Israel's Channel 12, reported that he was captured after being shot as he tried to flee. News.co.il reported that, according to authorities, the shooter carried a weapon and wore military uniform, and that he was shot during a confrontation with police; it described him as a suspected terrorist. No other report reviewed here mentions a uniform or characterises the attack that way.

Where it happened

Krakow is in southern Poland and, as Ynet noted, is the country's second largest city. Its main market square sits at the centre of the historic old town and is one of the busiest public spaces in the city. News.co.il reported that the gunfire caused panic as people in the area ran and looked for cover.

Israeli students nearby

Israeli school groups regularly travel to Poland on educational trips centred on the history of the Holocaust, and one such group was close to the scene. N12 correspondent Almog Boker reported that a delegation of Israeli students was about two streets from the shooting, heard the gunfire and left, heading back to their hotel. According to a message sent to parents, reported by Boker, all the students are well and are being accompanied by security staff. The message added that, as far as Polish security officials know, the incident has no connection to the delegations. News.co.il carried a similar account of the group leaving the area.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports identify the gunman or the victims, and none give a motive. The police have not been quoted describing the shooter's condition after he was taken to hospital, and the reports disagree on whether he was simply detained or was shot first. The claim that he wore military uniform appears in only one report and has not been confirmed by police statements cited elsewhere. The final number of injured, and the condition of the wounded officers, have not been reported.