Kraków Gunman Dies in Hospital as Poland Presses Terrorism Investigation Into Mass Shooting

The 24-year-old man accused of killing six people in a shooting rampage through the historic Main Market Square in Kraków died in hospital early Monday, Polish authorities said, as prosecutors pressed ahead with a terrorism investigation and officials retreated from early claims about his motive, according to The Guardian, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. "We would like to inform you that the perpetrator of the tragic events died in hospital early this morning," Małopolska regional police wrote on X on Monday, The Guardian reported. AFP said the suspect was declared dead at about 4:30 a.m. local time after three operations.

What happened on Saturday

The attack began at about 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, when the man drove at high speed into the square at the heart of Kraków's old town, which is usually crowded with tourists, The Guardian reported. Wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, he fired at random during what Kraków police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło called a "wild ride" around the square. Notes from Poland reported that he fired from his car and appeared to use an AR-15-style rifle. He has been named publicly only as Michał O. under Polish privacy law, Notes from Poland reported, and Reuters said he was from the town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.

Four women and two men were killed. Polish authorities said the dead included a 32-year-old British man and a 51-year-old Austrian woman, and the other four victims were Polish, The Guardian and ABC News reported. Injury totals have varied between reports: Reuters and AFP put the number of wounded at 15, while The Guardian and Notes from Poland reported 16. The wounded included people from Britain, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia.

Two police officers, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, were seriously wounded while confronting the gunman and were praised as heroes for stopping the attack, The Guardian and Notes from Poland reported. Małopolska provincial Governor Krzysztof Klęczar said Monday that 14 of the wounded were in stable condition and that a police officer involved in the arrest remained in serious condition, according to Reuters. Hours after the attack, the bodies of the gunman's father, 53, mother, 52, and sister, 21, were found at the family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 100 miles northeast of Kraków. Police said they had probably died of gunshot wounds.

A terrorism case that continues

On Sunday, Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said it had opened an investigation into "the killing of six people … using a firearm, and the attempted murder of many others, including police officers, this act constituting a terrorist offence," The Guardian reported. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek told Radio Zet on Monday that the investigation would continue after the suspect's death to determine whether he acted alone or was inspired by any group. "Evidence is being collected, but I will not show or disclose it. I ask for restraint," he said, according to Reuters. In the same interview, reported by the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, Żurek said the death would end proceedings against the suspect himself, that no charges had been filed because of his condition, and that the case appeared to involve a so-called lone wolf, though investigators could not yet say so definitively. He said a possible Russian link had not been ruled out and that some information still had to be checked.

A dispute over motive

On Saturday, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held "very radical" and "ultra-nationalistic" views, The Guardian reported. Notes from Poland said he cautioned at the time that investigators still needed to verify that finding. Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński called the claims a "blatant lie," Reuters reported.

On Monday, government officials appeared to step back from the initial comments. "Until the matter is fully clarified and the authorities are in possession of complete information, it is best to refrain from making comments, even if there are some initial indications," government spokesperson Adam Szłapka told TVN24, according to Reuters. At a press conference, National Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Przemysław Nowak said, "We do not have findings that we could, in a responsible way, categorically state that he was inspired by any particular ideology," AFP reported. Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Gałecka told radio TOK FM that many emblems on the attacker's clothing were being analyzed by specialists. According to The Guardian's live coverage, she also said police had detained five people over online posts glorifying the attack and were on high alert for potential copycats.

Gun permits under review

The suspect had no criminal record and held a firearms license, police said, according to The Guardian. Reuters reported that both he and his father had gun permits and that several firearms were found in the family apartment and in his car. AFP said investigators seized 11 firearms, that the two men belonged to a shooting club, and that Polish media cited the suspect's grandmother as saying he obtained his license this year. Żurek said the government would review the requirements for people holding gun permits, Reuters reported. AFP said the Interior Ministry announced a review of licensing conditions under which holders' medical records would be updated regularly.

Poland has about 411,000 gun permit holders in a population of 37 million, ABC News reported. AFP said more than 50,000 new licenses were issued in 2025, citing police figures, and described the attack as the deadliest shooting in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989.

A country in mourning

President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared two days of national mourning for Sunday and Monday, Notes from Poland reported. The square reopened Sunday evening, and mourners have left candles and flowers there. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the shooting an "act of terror," and European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sent condolences, The Guardian reported.

Sources

• The Guardian — Angela Giuffrida and agencies, Kraków shooting suspect who killed six has died, Polish police say (Nov. 9, 2026)
• The Guardian — Angela Giuffrida and agencies, Polish prosecutors open terrorism investigation into Kraków shooting (Nov. 8, 2026)
• The Guardian — Europe live, Martin Belam and Yohannes Lowe (Nov. 9, 2026)
• Reuters (via USA Today) — Marek Strzelecki, Poland mass shooter dies as dispute over motives builds (Nov. 9, 2026)
• AFP (via RFI) — Krakow shooting rampage suspect dies amid hunt for motive (Nov. 9, 2026)
• ABC News (Australia) — Krakow gunman dies in hospital after killing six and injuring 15 (Nov. 9, 2026)
• Notes from Poland — Prosecutors launch terror investigation as Poland reels from fatal shootings (Nov. 8, 2026)
• Rzeczpospolita — Ada Michalak, Żurek interview with Radio Zet (Nov. 9, 2026, in Polish)