15 people were killed in a shooting at a Prague university on Thursday afternoon. The assailant is said to be a student, “unknown to the police.”
A gunman opened fire this Thursday afternoon at the philosophy faculty of Charles Universityright in the center of Prague.
The attack left at least 15 dead and around thirty injured, including 9 seriously. All were taken care of by emergency services.
According to police, testimonies and images shared on social networks, the shooter entered several classrooms and climbed onto the roof of the faculty. Several students, professors and employees had time to barricade themselves, others hid under the windows. The evacuation of the building is in progress. Classes on Friday have been canceled.
Law enforcement announced that the shooter was “eliminated” around 4 p.m. According to the President of the Czech Police, Martin Vondrášek, the main suspect was a university student aged around 20, who possessed “legally’ several weapons, unknown to the police.
The assailant is believed to have been inspired by several recent shootings, including that of Bryansk, Russia, which took place on December 7, during which a 14-year-old girl killed two students.
Jan Palach Square, which is right in front of the university, was closed, as were several main roads in the city center. The Czech Interior Ministry advises people living nearby to stay at home.
Several leaders and political figures commented on the event on social networks.
Czech President Petr Pavel said on X: “I am shocked by the events that occurred at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University. I would like to express my deep regrets and my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the shooting. I would like to thank the citizens for having respected the instructions of the security forces and for having provided maximum cooperation.”
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says “shocked” by today’s shooting in Prague. She wrote on the social network “think of your Czech neighbors and friends at this difficult time”. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on X that “the attack in the center of Prague touched the heart of Europe. She then expressed her condolences to the Czech Republic”.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed her “condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Czech people as a whole.”
Our journalists are monitoring this information and will update it as soon as they know more.