Five people were killed and more than 10 wounded, including two police officers, when a gunman opened fire on passers-by in Krakow's Main Square at about 3pm on Saturday, Lesser Poland police said. The attacker drove a car into the square and fired from it. Police shot and detained him.

Early police information says there were two attackers. Regional police spokeswoman Sub-Inspector Katarzyna Cisło first spoke of one gunman, but police corrected this after 5pm. Other reports say the first shots were heard just after 3pm.

The car is a black Subaru. It entered the square from Sławkowska Street, Lesser Poland fire service spokesman Hubert Ciepły said. The driver fired at people around him.

Police opened fire and he fired back. He was wounded at the junction of Stradomska and Dietla streets and taken to a Krakow hospital, where doctors are trying to resuscitate him. A video of the arrest has been posted on social media.

His identity was not known when police first made a statement. He wore military-style clothes and fired a long, military-type weapon. Police found and seized many more weapons and ammunition in his car.

Unofficial reports say the attacker is 25, wore camouflage and fired a military AR-15 carbine. Shots were also fired on Dietla Street, and police are checking what happened to the second shooter.

Sub-Inspector Cisło said central Krakow is now safe. Police and firefighters still urge residents and tourists not to come to the square.

Police, firefighters and ambulance crews are working near St Mary's Church. An air ambulance helicopter landed on the square, and prosecutors are gathering evidence at the scene.

The square, usually full of tourists, is empty. Passers-by are asking officers what to do.

Krakow's newly elected mayor Łukasz Gibała said a crisis team is meeting at the town hall. He confirmed "at least five" dead. In a post on X, he urged people to stay calm and act responsibly, and wrote that his thoughts are with the families of those killed.

Interior and administration minister Marcin Kierwiński is travelling to Krakow, ministry spokeswoman Karolina Gałecka and the minister himself confirmed. President Karol Nawrocki said Bartosz Grodecki, head of the National Security Bureau, is also heading to the city.

Police are checking the motives and all the circumstances of the attack, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

Nawrocki wrote on X that his thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families. He said he is in contact with the services and expects the case to be fully cleared up. The president said the safety of Poles is an absolute priority.

Justice minister and prosecutor general Waldemar Żurek wrote that the state is acting. He asked people to stay calm and not get in the way of the services.

"We will make sure the perpetrator of this crime gets a severe punishment," Żurek wrote.

The defence minister, who is also deputy prime minister, called the events especially hard moments for the people of Krakow and Lesser Poland. He said he is in contact with the interior minister, the governor and the services. He promised that all circumstances and motives will be checked, and offered condolences.

Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski wrote on X that Poland is receiving condolences from around the world for Krakow, the wounded and the families of the dead. He said dozens of foreign ministers have sent messages.

"Millions of foreigners who have visited the Main Square feel our pain especially strongly and express solidarity," Sikorski wrote.

Sejm speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty wrote that he is shocked. He offered condolences to the families and wished the wounded strength. Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said the capital stands with Krakow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, on behalf of the Ukrainian people and himself. He said there is no excuse for the attacker and he hopes the punishment will be harsh. Zelensky added that Ukraine stands with Poland and that people have a right to safety.

Security expert Boris Chikhin believes the wave of terrorism has reached Poland and the world will see that the country is not safe. In his view, the attack was planned.

Dariusz Nowak, a former Lesser Poland police spokesman, said that despite a ban, it is not hard to drive a car into the square.