A gunman opened fire at a university in downtown Prague, killing 14 people. The suspected perpetrator was also dead, police chief Martin Vondrasek said on Thursday. It is assumed that it is a student at the university who had recently murdered his father and was wanted for that reason. The young man was probably inspired by mass shootings abroad. There was initially no official information about the circumstances of his death or a possible motive.
The police had previously spoken of at least 15 deaths. According to the new information, 25 people were injured, at least ten of them seriously to life-threatening. Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said on public television CT that there was no evidence of a second perpetrator or of a terrorist background. It was a lone shooter, said Prime Minister Petr Fiala. It may have been the worst gun attack in the history of the Czech Republic, which has been independent since 1993.
Chancellor Scholz expresses his condolences
Chancellor Olaf Scholz was deeply dismayed by the terrible news from Prague. “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims, our sympathy goes out to our Czech friends,” the SPD politician wrote on the short message service X. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the senseless violence. The presidents of France, Slovakia, Ukraine and Israel as well as numerous other top politicians made similar statements.
The shooting occurred at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University on Jan Palach Square. Within a short time, a large police force arrived, including special forces. Jan Palach Square is just a few hundred meters away from the famous Charles Bridge, the city’s landmark on the Vltava.
The police called on people to avoid the area and cordoned off the area. Residents should not go out of the house. Photos showed students leaving the university building with their arms raised. According to a report by the TV station Nova, the shooter is said to have been on the roof of the faculty building. An explosion was also heard.
People tried to save themselves
Students and staff at the university said on social media that they had barricaded themselves in lecture halls and offices. Others climbed out the window and stood on the eaves to hide from the gunman. The students and university staff were taken out of the building by early evening. The rescue service sent ambulances, emergency doctors and a large-capacity ambulance to the scene.
Charles University was founded in 1348, making it one of the oldest European universities. It has around 49,500 students. Of these, around 8,000 study subjects such as German, Slavic and history at the Faculty of Humanities.
President and head of government cancel visits
Czech President Petr Pavel expressed his condolences to the families of those killed. He thanked the citizens of the short message service X for following the instructions of the security forces. As the head of state’s office announced, Pavel cut short his current visit to France to return to the Czech Republic early.
Prime Minister Fiala canceled a working visit to Moravia. “Due to the tragic events, I have canceled my work program in Olomouc and will return to Prague,” said the liberal-conservative politician. The cabinet is scheduled to meet for an emergency meeting late in the evening.
The mayor of Prague, Bohuslav Svoboda, was shocked. “This is a tragedy,” he told public television CT. “The worst part is that these things cannot be prevented.” Many people think that something like this could only happen in the USA because many people there are armed. It turns out that this is not the case.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that the news of the fatal shots had shocked him deeply. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also emphasized on X: “All our solidarity and compassion goes out to our Czech neighbors and friends in this difficult hour.” Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) said: “I am shocked and my thoughts are with our neighbors, with the victims and their relatives.”
