Credit : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's X | Photo: AP
KUALA LUMPUR, November 8, 2026 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed Malaysia’s solidarity with Poland following a deadly shooting in Kraków, offering condolences to the families of those killed and calling for international cooperation against extremism. In a statement shared on X on November 8, Anwar said he was saddened by the attack, which he said had claimed six innocent lives and left many others injured.
“Malaysia stands in solidarity with the people of Poland and extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We pray for the swift recovery of those injured,” he said. His message placed the victims and their families at the centre of Malaysia’s response, while also drawing attention to reports about the ideology believed to have influenced the attacker. Anwar described those reports as deeply troubling.
The Prime Minister said the tragedy underscored the need to confront terrorism in all its forms, including what he described as the growing threat of violent right-wing extremism. “No ideology can justify the murder of innocent people,” he said. He added that Malaysia remained committed to working with the international community to counter extremism and uphold peace and human dignity. The statement did not announce a new bilateral initiative or specific security measures.
The shooting took place in Kraków’s Main Market Square on November 7, according to a BBC report citing Polish authorities. Police said the attacker drove into the busy square and opened fire at people. The BBC reported that six people were killed and 16 injured, with two police officers among those hurt. The historic square is a popular tourist attraction, and the attack prompted a substantial armed police deployment in the city.
According to the same report, police shot and arrested the suspect, who was taken to hospital. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said everything suggested that the suspect had been fascinated by far-right ideologies and held ultra-nationalist views. Anwar’s statement referred to reports of far-right influence rather than presenting a completed investigative finding. His appeal focused on rejecting violence against civilians regardless of the ideology invoked to justify it.
The BBC also reported that three additional bodies were found during a search of the suspect’s home, separate from the six people killed in the square. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there were strong indications that those found at the home were immediate family members. Authorities’ investigation into the attack and the circumstances surrounding those deaths forms the background to the international messages of condolence.
Kraków has declared a period of mourning until November 11, the BBC reported. The response described in that report included heightened security in Warsaw and elsewhere, as well as the deployment of armed officers in Kraków. Anwar’s message, issued the following day, combined sympathy for those affected with a warning that violent extremism must be confronted without treating any ideology as a justification for killing.
For Malaysia, the position set out by Anwar was one of solidarity, cooperation and the defence of human dignity. He extended condolences to bereaved families, prayed for the injured and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to countering extremism alongside international partners. His statement concluded with that commitment to peace, rather than a separate announcement on diplomatic or security action.
Source: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s X statement; BBC News.
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