A 24-year-old gunman killed 14 people on Thursday at the prestigious Charles University in Prague before being found dead on the spot by the police.
A 24-year-old gunman killed 14 people at Prague’s prestigious Charles University on Thursday before being found dead on the spot by the police, announced the authorities who ruled out the possibility of “international terrorism”.
A previous report, which reported fifteen deaths, was revised downwards in the evening by the police chief, Martin Vondrášek, who declared to the press: “At present I can confirm that there have been 14 victims of this horrific crime and 25 injured, ten of them seriously”.
The act of violence, which took place in the historic center of the Czech capital, provoked a massive intervention by heavily armed police. The shooting broke out at the Faculty of Philosophy, located near major tourist sites such as the 14th century Charles Bridge.
“There is no indication that this crime is linked to international terrorism”Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan told the press.
Vondrášek told reporters that police began searching for the would-be attacker even before the shooting, after his father was found dead in the village of Hostouň, west of Prague. The shooter “left for Prague saying he wanted to kill himself”said Mr. Vondrášek.
The police first searched the building of the Faculty of Philosophy where the murderer was to attend a class, but the latter went to another building, located nearby, and the police did not find him in time. .
“At 1:59 p.m. GMT, we received the first information about the shooting”said Mr. Vondrášek, adding that the rapid intervention unit was on the scene within twelve minutes. “At 2:20 p.m. GMT, the agents participating in the operation told us about the motionless body of the shooter”he said, adding that, according to unconfirmed reports, he had committed suicide.
Citing an investigation carried out on social networks, Mr. Vondrášek indicated that the shooter had been inspired by a “similar case which occurred in Russia this fall”. He said no police officers were injured.
The President “shocked”
The most serious shooting since the Czech Republic became an independent state in 1993 has caused a wave of emotion around the world.
“I am shocked by these events (…). I would like to express my deep regret and sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the shooting.” said President Petr Pavel, who ends a two-day visit to Paris on Thursday, on X.
For his part, Prime Minister Petr Fiala declared “this lone gunman (…) took the lives of young people. There is no justification for such an act”.
In Washington, the White House spokesperson assured that “The President (Biden) and the First Lady pray for the families who lost loved ones and all those who were affected by this senseless act of violence”.
The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen sent a message of compassion to Prague.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Czech people as a whole. We stand with you and mourn with you”she wrote in her message on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his “solidarity” with the Czech people, as have many other European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Although mass gun violence is unusual in the Czech Republic, the country has seen a few cases in recent years.
In 2015, a 63-year-old murderer shot dead seven men and a woman before committing suicide in a restaurant in the southeastern town of Uherský Brod.
In 2019, a man killed six people in the waiting room of a hospital in the eastern city of Ostrava, with a woman dying days later. The assailant shot himself to death about three hours after the attack.