At least 15 useless after college taking pictures in central Prague | EUROtoday

Issued on: 21/12/2023 – 16:36Modified: 21/12/2023 – 20:43

2 min

The bloodshed happened within the philosophy division constructing of Charles University the place the shooter was a scholar, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek stated. The gunman was additionally killed, authorities stated.

Vondrasek stated 24 had been injured, and authorities warned that the loss of life toll may rise.

Police gave no particulars in regards to the victims or a attainable motive for the taking pictures on the constructing situated close to the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square. Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan stated investigators don’t suspect a hyperlink to any extremist ideology or teams.

Vondrasek stated police consider the gunman killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun, simply west of Prague, earlier within the day, and that he had additionally been planning to kill himself. He did not elaborate.

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The chief described the shooter as a superb scholar with no legal file, however did not present another data.

The gunman suffered “devastating injuries” nevertheless it wasn’t clear if he killed himself or was shot to loss of life in an trade of gunfire with officers, Vondrasek stated, including that there was “nothing to counsel that he had an confederate.”

The shooter legally owned a number of weapons, and what he did was “well thought out, a horrible act,” Vondrasek stated.

“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 stated in a press release.

University authorities stated they’d tighten safety in college buildings with speedy impact.

The constructing the place the taking pictures happened is close to the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square, a busy vacationer space in Prague’s Old Town. It is only a few minutes’ stroll from the picturesque Old Town Square, a serious vacationer attraction the place a well-liked Christmas market attracts 1000’s of tourists.

The authorities rapidly sought to quell considerations that the bloodbath was again by overseas pursuits.

“There’s no indication that it has anything to do with international terrorism,” Rakusan stated.

“It’s a horrible crime, something the Czech Republic has never experienced,” he stated.

Pavel Nedoma, the director of the close by Rudolfinum Gallery, stated he watched from a window as an individual standing on a balcony of the constructing fired a gun.

Authorities evacuated everybody from the constructing and police stated they had been nonetheless looking out the realm, together with the balcony, for explosives.

The constructing kinds a part of the sq. and faces a bridge throughout the river with a view of Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech presidency. President Petr Pavel stated he was “shocked” by what occurred and provided his condolences to the kin of the victims, as did leaders of Germany, France and Slovakia, the European Union and Israel.

Where vacationers, college students and others would usually be having fun with the view of the enduring monument, chaos and terror as an alternative took maintain. Police automobiles and ambulances sped throughout the bridge with their sirens wailing. Officers sealed off the empty sq..

Some video footage confirmed folks being evacuated from the constructing and others attempting to cover by a wall.

The Czech authorities deliberate to fulfill later Thursday for an emergency session to debate the taking pictures.

Before Thursday, the nation’s worst mass taking pictures was in 2015, when a gunman opened fireplace within the southeastern city of Uhersky Brod, killing eight earlier than fatally taking pictures himself.

(AP)