Poland's Justice Minister Says Kraków Shooting Inquiry Will Examine Whether Dead Gunman Acted Alone

Poland's justice minister, Waldemar Żurek, said on Monday, 9 November 2026, that investigators would determine whether the Kraków gunman acted alone.

The 24-year-old suspect died in hospital earlier that morning after being wounded by police.

The man opened fire from his car in Kraków's Main Market Square on Saturday, 7 November, killing six people. They included four Polish nationals, a British man and an Austrian woman.

Prosecutors are treating the attack as a suspected terrorism offence.

Regional governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar said 15 injured people remained in six Kraków hospitals on Monday. Fourteen were in stable condition, while an officer involved in stopping the gunman was seriously injured.

Other outlets reported different overall injury totals, making the latest hospital figure the clearest confirmed update.

Kraków Shooting Inquiry Will Examine Possible Assistance

Żurek told Radio Zet that the gunman's death would not end efforts to reconstruct the attack or establish whether others were involved. Investigators have not publicly identified an accomplice, and no group has been shown to have directed the shooting.

Prosecutor Eryk Stasielak said authorities were examining whether anyone helped or inspired the attacker. Officers seized electronic devices and were seeking access to their contents. Detectives are also investigating how he acquired his weapons and ammunition.

Investigators are gathering witness accounts and reviewing evidence recovered from the scene. Their findings could clarify whether the gunman planned the assault independently or received outside help.

According to Reuters, prosecutors recovered four firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition connected to the attacker. Officials also found weapons at his family home. Prosecutors said the suspect's father also had a firearms permit. Żurek said the government would review licensing requirements following the killings.

The gunman, from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, had no previous convictions and held a firearms licence, police said. Wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest, he drove into the busy square before opening fire. Police said he continued shooting even after officers wounded him.

Two officers were hurt while responding to the attack. Five wounded foreign nationals came from Britain, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia, according to The Guardian.

Kraków Shooting Motive Remains Unconfirmed

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński suggested the attacker had been drawn to far-right ideas. He described the gunman's views as 'very radical' and 'ultra-nationalistic'. Opposition politicians challenged those assertions, prompting calls for caution from other officials.

National Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Przemysław Nowak said on Monday that investigators had not established the motive. He said officers found a Gadsden flag bearing the words 'Don't tread on me' in the suspect's room. Nowak cautioned against treating it as proof of extremism.

Interior ministry officials were also examining emblems on the gunman's clothing. Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka urged restraint until investigators had gathered complete information.

Authorities are separately examining three deaths at the suspect's family home. His father, 53, mother, 52, and sister, 21, were found dead after the shooting. Officials believe he may have killed them, although the precise circumstances remain under investigation.

President Karol Nawrocki declared national mourning for 8 and 9 November. Main Market Square reopened on Sunday evening after police lifted the cordon, and mourners returned with flowers and candles for the victims.