The Polish National Prosecutor’s Office announced on Sunday 8 November 2026 the opening of an investigation into a « terrorist » act after the Krakow shooting. The proceedings concern the six people killed in the historic centre and attempted murders, including against police officers. It also includes three homicides committed in Ostrowiec юwiętokrzyski.
This decision constitutes a further judicial step in the aftermath of the attack. On Saturday night, Prime Minister Donald Tusk had already used the term terrorism. The Prosecutor ‘ s Office now retains this qualification in the investigation. Investigations still have to establish the specific motivations of the suspect, his course and circumstances of each homicide.
Krakow: a terrorist investigation by the national prosecutor’s office
A prosecutor from the Krakow branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption is conducting the proceedings. The facts examined include the shooting of six people on Saturday, November 7. The Prosecutor ‘ s Office also targets attempts to murder several other persons, including police officers.
On Sunday morning, a spokesperson had first announced the forthcoming opening of this investigation. The national prosecutor ‘ s office was subsequently confirmed. It is therefore no longer merely a question of a proposed qualification or a political statement on the gravity of the facts.
At this stage, this qualification remains that of the investigating authorities. It is not a judgment. The suspect was injured during the police intervention and then hospitalized. Its status conditions the procedural acts that the magistrates may perform with it.
The three deaths of Ostrowiec in the same procedure
The prosecution also included the murders of three people in Ostrowiec юwiętokrzyski, a town northeast of Krakow. According to the evidence released on Sunday, these victims were killed by firearms on 7 November. The national prosecutor, Przemysław Nowak, said that the evidence collected identified the same author in both cities.
The police identified the three people found in the apartment as the suspect’s parents and sister. Investigators conducted findings at both sites during the night. These operations continued on Sunday.
The results must therefore remain separate: six people were killed in the attack on the centre of Krakow, and three others in Ostrowiec юwiętokrzyski. The joint procedure involves a total of nine deaths. This judicial rapprochement does not bring the number of people killed in the market place to nine.
An extreme right track always examined
Poland’s Minister of the Interior, Marcin Kierwiński, mentioned on Saturday night a fascination of the suspect for extreme right ideologies. The authorities are looking into this in their research on the motive of the attack.
The terrorist characterization announced on Sunday alone does not allow us to deduce the suspect’s membership in an organization. Investigators must specify their motivations and possible connections. The Prosecutor’s announcement does not provide a definitive conclusion on these points.
The suspect is a Polish national aged 24 years. The police indicated that he was not known about his services and that he had an authorization to possess a weapon. The investigation will have to determine how he prepared the facts and reconstruct his movements between the two cities.
Fifteen injured in the municipal balance sheet
In its updated communication on 8 November, the municipality of Krakow reported six deaths and 15 injuries. Among those killed were four women and two men. Two police officers were injured during the intervention.
The shooting began on Saturday, shortly after 3 p.m., in the area of Sławkowska Street and Market Square. Initial findings describe shooting from a vehicle. Police arrested the suspect near the crossing of Dietla and Stradomska streets, after having shot him.
A tramway on Line 1 was also shot at Place de Tous-les-Saints. The municipality reports that a window in the driver’s cabin was broken. Neither the driver nor the passengers of this train were injured. This fact is part of the path that investigators seek to reconstruct.
Two days of national mourning, four days in Krakow
President Karol Nawrocki declared a national mourning for Sunday 8 and Monday 9 November. Flags must be put at half-mast on official buildings. In Krakow, Mayor Gibała announced a municipal mourning until Wednesday, November 11, including the cancellation of the events organized by the city.
Part of the Market Square and neighbouring streets remained closed Sunday for investigation purposes. The police are asking witnesses to report to the nearest unit. The magistrates continue with the findings on the sites of Krakow and Ostrowiec, Więtokrzyski.
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