In connection with the shooting in Kraków, we recall the deadliest mass shootings in the world carried out by lone attackers. Some were terrorist attacks; others stemmed from the assailants’ personal motives. Some led to tighter gun access laws.
Norway, 2011 – 69 Killed
On July 22, 2011, far-right extremist Anders Breivik killed 77 people in two attacks. First, he detonated a car bomb, killing eight people. Then, disguised as a police officer, he made his way to the island of Utoya, where a camp for the youth wing of the ruling Labor Party was being held. He shot 69 people there, mostly teenagers. Breivik was motivated by hostility toward multiculturalism and Muslim immigration. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison, with the possibility of the sentence being extended indefinitely.
USA, 2017 – 60 Killed
On Oct. 1, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas on attendees of a country music festival. He fired more than a thousand rounds, killing 60 people and wounding hundreds more. He died by suicide before police arrived. Investigators were unable to determine his motive.
South Korea, 1982 – 56 Killed
On April 26, 1982, police officer Woo Bum-kon began a series of attacks in several villages in South Gyeongsang Province. Armed with rifles and grenades, he killed 56 people and wounded about 35, then blew himself up along with three hostages. The attack was preceded by an argument with his partner; the perpetrator had personal problems and was under the influence of alcohol.
New Zealand, 2019 – 51 Killed
On March 15, 2019, 36-year-old far-right extremist Brenton Tarrant attacked two mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayers. He killed 51 people. He livestreamed the first attack on the internet, and earlier had published a manifesto promoting a racist theory that the white population is being deliberately replaced by immigrants.
USA, 2016 – 49 Killed
On June 12, 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. During the attack, he called an emergency number and pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State. He was killed by police. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Turkey, 2017 – 39 Killed
On New Year’s Eve, from Dec. 31, 2016, to Jan. 1, 2017, 28-year-old Uzbek national Abdulkadir Masharipov opened fire at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul. He killed 39 people, including many foreign tourists, and wounded 79. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Masharipov, who according to investigators underwent combat training in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was sentenced to multiple life terms.
Tunisia, 2015 – 38 Killed
On June 26, 2015, 22-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui attacked tourists relaxing on a beach next to a hotel in Sousse. He killed 38 people, including 30 Britons. He was shot dead by police. According to Tunisian authorities, he had earlier trained at a jihadist camp in Libya, and the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack dealt a serious blow to Tunisian tourism, one of the most important sectors of the economy.
Australia, 1996 – 35 Killed
On April 28, 1996, 28-year-old Martin Bryant killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania, a popular tourist site. The motive for the massacre was never clearly established. The event led to a landmark reform of Australian law: strict restrictions on semiautomatic weapons ownership were introduced, along with a program to buy back hundreds of thousands of firearms from citizens.
USA, 2007 – 32 Killed
On April 16, 2007, 23-year-old South Korean student Cho Seung-hui killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus, then died by suicide. He had previously received psychiatric treatment and exhibited disturbing behavior. It was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
USA, 2012 – 26 Killed
On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children aged 6 and 7 and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He had earlier killed his mother. After police arrived, he died by suicide. Investigators pointed to his serious mental health problems, fascination with mass murders and access to firearms.
United Kingdom, 1996 – 17 Killed
On March 13, 1996, 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton burst into a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and shot 16 children aged 5 and 6 and one teacher. He wounded another 15 people, then died by suicide. The perpetrator’s motive was never clearly established. It was the deadliest shooting in British history, and in its aftermath a near-total ban on private ownership of handguns was introduced.
Germany, 2002 – 16 Killed
On April 26, 2002, 19-year-old Robert Steinhäuser, a former student of the Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, shot and killed 16 people, including 12 teachers, then died by suicide. He had been expelled from the school several months earlier. According to witnesses, he deliberately chose teachers and school staff as his victims.
Germany, 2009 – 15 Killed
On March 11, 2009, 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer opened fire at his former school in Winnenden, near Stuttgart. He killed nine students and three teachers, then fled. In nearby Wendlingen, he shot three more people, then died by suicide during a confrontation with police. The motive was never clearly established.
Switzerland, 2001 – 14 Killed
On Sept. 27, 2001, 57-year-old Friedrich Leibacher, disguised as a police officer, burst into the parliament building of the canton of Zug and opened fire on those attending a session. He killed 14 people and wounded 10, then died by suicide. For years, the perpetrator had been in conflict with local authorities, whom he accused of persecution and unfair treatment.
Czech Republic, 2023 – 14 Killed
On Dec. 21, 2023, 24-year-old student David Kozak opened fire at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in central Prague. He shot and killed 14 people and wounded 25 others. One more person died after falling from a height while trying to escape. The perpetrator died by suicide. Investigators also linked him to the earlier killing of his father and of two people in a forest outside Prague. The motive for the massacre was not clearly established. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the independent Czech Republic.
Germany, 2019 – 2 Killed
On Oct. 9, 2019, 27-year-old Stephan Balliet attempted to burst into a synagogue in Halle, where several dozen people were attending prayers for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. When he failed to break through the doors, he shot a woman on the street, then a man at a nearby kebab shop. He livestreamed the attack on the internet. During the recording, he said that “the source of all problems is the Jews.” He was sentenced to life in prison.
Source: PAP
