Student kills 14 in mass shooting at Prague university
A police officer walks across a bridge over the Vltava river in downtown Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday. Picture: AP Photo/Petr David Josek
A lone gunman opened fire in a university building in central Prague, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting.
The bloodshed took place in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the killer was a student, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said.
The suspected gunman also died. His name has not been released.
Mr Vondrasek said 25 people were injured and authorities warned that the death toll could rise.
Police gave no details about the victims or a possible motive for the shooting at the building near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square. Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said investigators do not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.
Mr Vondrasek said police believe the suspect killed his father in his home town of Hostoun, just west of Prague, earlier in the day, and that he had also been planning to kill himself.
Later on Thursday, Mr Vondrasek said that, based on a search of his home, the gunman was also suspected of killing another man and his two-month-old daughter on December 15 in the east of Prague.
The police chief described the suspect as an excellent student but did not provide any other information.
The suspect suffered “devastating injuries” but it was not clear if he killed himself or was shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with officers, Mr Vondrasek said, adding that there was “nothing to suggest that he had an accomplice”.
The suspect legally owned several guns, and what he did was “well thought out, a horrible act”, Mr Vondrasek said.
“We mourn the loss of life of members of our university community, express our deepest condolences to all the bereaved and our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragedy,” Charles University said in a statement.
University authorities said they would tighten security in buildings with immediate effect.
The building where the shooting took place is located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square, a busy tourist area in Prague’s Old Town.
It is just a few minutes’ walk from the picturesque Old Town Square, a major tourist attraction where thousands of visitors have been enjoying a popular Christmas market.
The government quickly sought to quell concerns that the massacre was backed by foreign interests.
“There’s no indication that it has anything to do with international terrorism,” Mr Rakusan said.
“It’s a horrible crime, something the Czech Republic has never experienced,” he said.
Pavel Nedoma, the director of the nearby Rudolfinum Gallery, said he watched from a window as a person standing on a balcony of the building fired a gun.
Authorities evacuated everyone from the building and police said they were still searching the area, including the balcony, for explosives.
The building forms part of the square and faces a bridge across the river with a view of Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech presidency.
President Petr Pavel said he was “shocked” by what happened and offered his condolences to the relatives of the victims.
Where tourists, students and others would normally be enjoying the view of the iconic monument, chaos and terror instead took hold. Police vehicles and ambulances sped across the bridge with their sirens wailing as officers sealed off the empty square.
Some video footage showed people being evacuated from the building and others trying to hide by a wall.
Police said officers were deployed due to a shooting at a school in Jan Palach Square shortly after 2pm (Irish time).
The philosophical faculty of Charles University, located at the square has been evacuated, Prague mayor Bohuslav Svoboda said.
An email sent to staff and students at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, seen by Reuters, had said a shooter was in one of its buildings and had told staff to "stay put".
"Don't go anywhere, if you're in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights," the email said.
One X user posted a photo of a group of students, hiding crouched on a ledge of the building.
Pavel Nedoma, the director of Rudolfinum Gallery, which also is located in the square, told Czech public television he saw from a window a person who was shooting toward the nearby Manes bridge across the Vltava River.
The police department said the square has been sealed off and urged people also to leave the surrounding streets and stay inside.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala cancelled his trip to the east of the country and was en route to Prague, he said on X.
Prague’s rescue service said about 30 people suffered various injuries, including nine with serious ones.
Gun crime is relatively rare in the Czech Republic. In December 2019, a 42-year-old gunman killed six people at a hospital waiting room in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava before fleeing and fatally shooting himself, police said.
In 2015, a man fatally shot eight people and then killed himself at a restaurant in Uhersky Brod.
A newlywed British couple have told of the moment a police officer ordered them to stay down during a mass shooting in central Prague.
Tom Leese, 34, a video producer and his wife Rachael, 31, an account director, who are on their honeymoon in the country, were having a drink in the Slivovitz Museum, close to where the shooting occurred.
Mr Leese said: “A policeman came in and started shouting loudly in what I assume was Czech.
“I asked for it in English and he said there was an active shooter and to stay inside and stay down.
“The policeman left urgently and we stood in the corner of the restaurant.”Â
The couple, from Merstham in Surrey, were kept in the the museum for over an hour, hearing sirens outside.
Mr Leese added: “Rachael is still in shock.
“We were meant to be having dinner at the restaurant right by the building tonight and were going to pop in for a drink earlier on, but we crossed the bridge instead.
“With everyone else being so calm it didn’t seem real to me.
“We’ve been in touch with all of our families to let them know that we’re safe.
“We obviously can’t wait to get home now.”
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