Prague police claimed that a 24-year-old Czech student was “eliminated” after he killed over 15 people and gravely injured at least 24 others at Charles University on Thursday.
According to Prague Police Chief Police Martin Vondrasek, the shooting occurred in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the gunman was a student. The student gunman’s name was made public.
Following the shooting in the city’s historic center, Prague’s police commissioner informed reporters that “more than 15 people have lost their lives and at least 24 have been wounded.”
The shooting at Charles University in Prague “shocked” Czech President Petr Pavel.
“I find the circumstances shocking… “On X, which was formerly Twitter, I would like to express my sincere condolences and deep regret to the families and relatives of the victims claimed by the shooting,” Pavel stated on Thursday as he was wrapping up a two-day visit to Paris.
The Czech authorities stated on Thursday that there was no connection between the shooting at a university in central Prague that left over 15 people dead and worldwide terrorism.
Regarding the shooting at the Charles University building, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan told reporters, “There is no indication that this crime has any link to international terrorism”.
The director of the Rudolfinum Gallery, which is also situated in the area, Pavel Nedoma, said to Czech public television that he seen someone firing a gun toward the neighboring Manes bridge over the Vltava River from a window.
Petr Fiala, the prime minister, canceled his planned engagements and left for Prague.
Several individuals were murdered in the event on Wednesday, according to Czech police, who stated the gunman at a university building in Prague had been “eliminated”.
The victims’ identities and the potential reason for the shooting at the Jan Palach Square building next to the Vltava River were not disclosed by the police. Investigators do not believe a connection to any extemist ideology or groups, according to Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan.
The director of the neighboring Rudolfinum Gallery, Pavel Nedoma, reported that he observed someone firing a gun while standing on the building’s balcony.
According to police, they were still looking for potential explosives across the area, including on the balcony. According to Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, the building was evacuated.