Czech Republic: Fatal shooting at Prague university

Czech police reported on Thursday a shooting incident at a downtown educational facility in the capital, Prague.

Police said 14 people were killed by the shooter and at least 24 people were injured, revising the fatalities down from an earlier number of 15. 

"There is no indication that this crime has any link to international terrorism," Interior Minister Vit Rakusen said.

Prime minister cancels events

Prime Minister Petr Fiala canceled his scheduled events in the country's east and has headed for Prague.

"Due to the tragic events at the Faculty of Arts in Prague I have canceled my work schedule [in the eastern Olomouc region] and am going back to Prague," Fiala said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He said he was in contact with police and the interior minister and urged citizens to cooperate with Czech rescue services.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed her "sincere condolences" in a social media post.

"The attack in the middle of Prague hits Europe in its heart," she said. "We are grieving. Our thoughts and our full sympathy go out to the friends and families of the victims."

Czech President Petr Pavel said he was "shocked" and expressed "deep regret and sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen denounced "the senseless violence of the shooting that claimed several lives today."

The White House condemned the shooting as "senseless."

"The president and the first lady are praying for the families who lost loved ones and everyone else who has been affected by the senseless act of violence," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

What else do we know about the shooting?

Police initially told residents to avoid the area and stay indoors, saying their operations were ongoing. A few minutes later, they said the shooter had been "eliminated." 

Czech Interior Minister Rakusan confirmed the death of the gunman, and said no accomplices had been found. He said that several weapons had been found at the university building.

The shooting occurred at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. Police evacuated and cordoned off the area while seeking the shooter. 

Charles University has a total of 49,500 students and is one of the oldest tertiary education institutions in Europe, having been founded in 1348.

Prague police chief Martin Vondrasek said police believed the shooter had killed his father, who was found dead in the village of Hostoun, west of Prague.

He said police believe the gunman was a student at the university.

"At the moment, there is a police intervention on the spot, the entire Namesti Jan Palach [square] and the surrounding area is completely closed," police said in an earlier social media post. 

Jan Palach is a town square in the Old Town of Prague.

The Nova television station reported a blast and a gunman on the roof of the building.

Faculty staff were told to lock themselves into offices and "stay put" until police arrived.

'Unusual' incident for the Czech Republic

Journalist Ian Willoughby told DW that mass shooting incidents are "unusual" in the Czech Republic.

"There have been no US-style school shootings here that I am aware of," he said.

"We always thought that 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," Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told public broadcaster Czech Television.

sdi/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)