Summary of the day
The Czech Republic declared that Saturday would be a day of mourning after a 24-year-old student killed 14 people and wounded 25 others at Charles University’s arts faculty on Thursday.
Czech police confirmed that the man shot and killed himself.
The authorities are also investigating his possible link to a separate incident.
The shooter had a licence for eight weapons, two of which were long-range, according to the authorities.
Czech police said today that they were implementing preventive security measures across the country.
Mourners gathered in Prague to pay their respects to the victims.
Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister, asked people to show consideration and avoid spreading unverified information.
“No one can imagine the fear and mental strain they went through yesterday,” wrote the Czech president, Petr Pavel.
Joe Biden said US authorities were in touch with Czech law enforcement and were ready to offer additional support if needed.
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Another photo from Prague, where people are paying their respects.
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The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, paid his respects to the victims of yesterday’s deadly shooting in central Prague.
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“No one can imagine the fear and mental strain they went through yesterday,” wrote the Czech president, Petr Pavel.
My thoughts are still with families of the victims, injured and those who had to fight for their lives at the Faculty of Arts. No one can imagine the fear and mental strain they went through yesterday. From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank for the sincere condolences…
— Petr Pavel (@prezidentpavel) December 22, 2023
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“No gesture can replace the loss of a loved one, but we are here with you, offering support and solidarity,” wrote the US ambassador to the Czech Republic, Bijan Sabet.
It is with deep sadness that I lay flowers at@UniKarlova on behalf of the American people. Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones. No gesture can replace the loss of a loved one, but we are here with you, offering support and solidarity. https://t.co/1xNyRNZl7y
— Bijan Sabet (@bijan) December 22, 2023
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Police share timeline of events
Czech police have shared a detailed timeline of yesterday’s deadly shooting:
12:26: Police received information from a friend of the shooter who received a “suicide SMS” from him.
12:47: Police found a dead man in the shooter’s house and a few minutes later determined it was his father.
13:15: Police announced a nationwide search for the suspect.
13:49: Police determined that the shooter could be heading to one of the university campuses.
14:22: Police started an evacuation of one campus.
14:59: Shooting starts at a nearby campus.
First police officers arrive minutes later.
15:11: Shooter on the roof.
15:20: Shooter dead by suicide. He shot himself using his rifle.
The authorities are also investigating the shooter’s possible link to a separate incident: a murder last week of a father and his baby in the Klanovice forest. Prague police are “still waiting for official ballistic test results” regarding the incident.
The shooter had a licence for eight weapons, two of which were long-range. It is still unclear how many of them he brought to the university building, police said.
Ladka Bauerova reported from Prague
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Mourners in Prague today
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Czech police said the shooter also injured three people on the street, Czech television reports.
Střelec z ochozu filozofické fakulty zranil i tři lidi na ulici, uvedla policie. Když se k němu blížili policisté, zastřelil se zřejmě brokovnicí.
— ČT24 (@CT24zive) December 22, 2023
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Attacker killed himself after university shooting - police
Czech police have confirmed that the gunman shot and killed himself yesterday after seeing police were encircling him “from all directions”, the BBC reports.
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Police: 14 victims and the shooter dead; 25 injured
Czech police said in an update that 15 people – 14 victims and the assailant – died in yesterday’s shooting.
Twenty-five people are injured, including three foreigners: two people from the United Arab Emirates and one from the Netherlands.
The police update differed from comments made by the country’s interior minister earlier in the morning. The minister had said there were 13 victims.
Ladka Bauerova reported from Prague
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The British ambassador in Prague, Matt Field, has expressed his condolences.
Včerejší den byl v dějinách této úžasné země strašlivým dnem. Mnoho lidí v Británii mě požádalo, abych vyjádřil lásku a podporu našim českým přátelům, zejména studentům a zaměstnancům @CharlesUniPRG.
— Matt Field (@MattFieldUK) December 22, 2023
Jménem 🇬🇧 vám všem vyjadřuji naši nejhlubší soustrast.
Je mi to moc líto🖤 pic.twitter.com/aJEa8wGiCW
Fourteen bodies identified: 13 victims and the shooter, minister says
Vít Rakušan, the Czech interior minister, said this morning that 14 bodies had been identified, including 13 victims and the shooter.
There are no foreign nationals among the dead, he said.
Ministr vnitra Rakušan: Známe identitu všech 14 mrtvých, jedná se o 13 obětí a střelce. Mezi mrtvými není žádný cizí státní příslušník. Ta vyšetřovací verze, že se jedná o stejného vraha z Klánovického lesa, je maximálně pravděpodobná. pic.twitter.com/8V1M4egQr0
— ČT24 (@CT24zive) December 22, 2023
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Czech prime minister asks for 'sensitivity'
Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister, shared a message with citizens this morning asking for people to show consideration and avoid spreading unverified information.
Dear friends, please approach the tragedy that happened yesterday at [Charles University Faculty of Arts] with sensitivity and consideration.
Many people have lost loved ones and friends, the depth of their pain and sorrow is hard to imagine.
Also out of respect for them, please refrain from quick judgments and do not spread unverified information.
An investigation is ongoing at this time and it is in everyone’s interest to clarify and investigate the smallest details of what happened yesterday and what led up to it.
Once again, I want to thank everyone who actively participated yesterday in ensuring that there were no more victims - the police, the paramedics and everyone else.
I also thank the media that reported on the tragedy and are reporting sensitively and professionally, with respect for the victims, their loved ones and the work of all components of the integrated rescue system.
Yesterday’s brutal attack affected our entire society, we are going through a painful and sad time, our thoughts are with those who were directly affected by yesterday’s tragedy.
We have to deal with this situation together. Please stick together in these difficult times. Thank you for understanding.
Vážení přátelé, prosím přistupujme k tragédii, která se včera stala na FF UK, citlivě a ohleduplně. Mnoho lidí přišlo o své blízké a přátele, hloubku jejich bolesti a zármutku si stěží dovedeme představit. I z úcty k nim se prosím zdržme rychlých soudů a nešiřme neověřené…
— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) December 22, 2023
Shock in Prague but shootings not unknown in Czech Republic
A fatal mass shooting in the cloistered environs of Prague might seem a bolt from the blue. In a city historically renowned for defenestrations but less for violent crime, safety and security are taken for granted much more than in most European capitals.
The reaction of Prague’s mayor, Bohuslav Svoboda, whose offices at Prague New Town Hall lie a short distance from the scene of the crime, conveyed many locals’ bewilderment as they struggled to digest the horror that had unfolded.
“We always thought that this was a thing that did not concern us,” he told Ceske Televize, the national public broadcaster. “Now it turns out that unfortunately our world is also changing and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well.”
Yet the incident is arguably less out of context than such remarks imply. Police said on Thursday that the gunman legally owned multiple firearms, a fact that may be explained by the fact that the Czech Republic has among the most permissive gun ownership laws in the EU.
The “right to acquire, keep and bear firearms” is recognised in Czech firearms legislation, while a constitutional amendment made to the charter of fundamental rights as recently as 2021 legally guarantees “the right to defend one’s own life or the life of another person with a weapon”.
Read the full story here.
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Joe Biden said American authorities are in touch with Czech law enforcement and ready to offer additional support if needed.
My heart is with those who lost their lives in today’s senseless shooting in Prague, those injured, and the Czech people. Our authorities are in touch with Czech law enforcement, and we stand ready to offer additional support if needed. https://t.co/1MUbVULDaT
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 22, 2023
Witnesses talk of their narrow escape from Prague gunman
Witnesses have described scenes of panic inside and outside Charles University as gunshots rang out in the heart of historical Prague on Thursday, sparking chaos and fear in an area bustling with locals and tourists.
The shooting began shortly after Jakob Weizman, a journalist and masters student at the university, arrived to sit an Albanian language exam.
It was just him and the professor in the small room, he said. “And during the exam I heard gunshots and I heard screaming.”
Both of them froze, unsure what to do. “Eventually police started showing up and there were more gunshots and screaming.”
He locked the classroom door and put up a makeshift barricade, frantically shoving tables, chairs and anything else he could find against the door.
“I think the shooter went from inside of the faculty to the outside to the balcony where he was shooting on people from outside,” the 25-year-old told the Guardian. “There were people trying to escape over the ledge.”
Soon after Wiezman set up the barricade, he said he heard someone trying to open the door of the room he was in. “He was going through each classroom to see if people were there to shoot them,” he said. “We locked our door just five minutes before he tried to open our door.”
After he heard a lot of shooting and screaming initially, things appeared to calm down for a bit. “And then there was a lot more shooting and screaming 30 minutes later.”
Eventually the pair were evacuated by police. “As we were walking out, there was just blood all over the faculty.”
Read the full story here.
Here’s a map of the location of yesterday’s deadly shooting in Prague.
Here are photos from Prague, as the Czech Republic mourns.
13 out of 14 victims identified, Czech minister says
Interior minister Vít Rakušan told Czech media that 13 of the 14 victims of yesterday’s shooting have been identified.
There are three foreigners among the injured, he said.
The minister also said police preventive measures will last until at least January 1.
Podle ministra vnitra Víta Rakušana je identifikováno 13 ze 14 obětí. Mezi zraněnými jsou tři cizinci. Rakušan to řekl ve vysílání Radiožurnálu.
— ČT24 (@CT24zive) December 22, 2023
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Czech police boosting security measures
Czech police said this morning that it is implementing preventive security measures across the country, while work continues to identify all the victims from yesterday’s shooting.
“Starting today, we have adopted nationwide PREVENTIVE measures in relation to soft targets and schools,” Czech police wrote in a statement on social media.
“We have no information about any specific threat,” the police stressed, adding that the move is “a signal that we are here and we are ready.”
The police also said:
We are currently still continuing at the scene of the shooting.
Currently, we have identified 11 deceased and we are working to confirm other identities. We expect the completion of initial operations on site in the morning hours.
The police noted that it is also monitoring posts on social media, pointing to hateful content about the shooting victims and underlining that there will be legal consequences.
It also said that “since yesterday, we have registered several specific cases of people who were (allegedly) inspired by the terrible act and want to follow it.”
“We respond immediately,” it added, calling on citizens to report concerns.
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Student shoots 14 people dead at university in Prague
Yesterday, a student at Prague’s Charles University shot and killed 14 people and injured 25 others, 10 of them seriously, before being found dead, in what is believed to be the worst mass shooting in the Czech Republic’s modern history.
The city’s police chief, Martin Vondrášek, told a press briefing on Thursday evening that the death toll may rise further, adding that the shooting had been “a premeditated violent attack”, apparently inspired by similar massacres abroad.
The Czech interior minister, Vít Rakušan, said there was no indication the killings, which took place at the university’s faculty of arts building, had “any connection with international terrorism”. The father of the shooter had been found dead earlier on Thursday, police said.
Prague’s mayor, Bohuslav Svoboda, told Czech TV: “We always thought this was a thing that did not concern us. Now it turns out that, unfortunately, our world is also changing, and the problem of the individual shooter is emerging here as well.”
Read the full story here.
Jon Henley and Ladka Bauerova
