Image: MICHAL CIZEK (APA/AFP/MICHAL CIZEK)
A criminal investigation has been initiated to clarify the circumstances, said the responsible public prosecutor Lenka Bradacova. The suspected shooter is also dead. It is still unclear whether the student killed himself or was killed by the police. The autopsy of the body should provide clarification.
The young man opened fire in the main building of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University on Thursday afternoon. According to the latest information, 25 people were injured in the hail of bullets, ten of whom were seriously to life-threatening. They were taken to various hospitals in the Czech capital. Before the bloody act, the shooter is said to have murdered his father in his house in the municipality of Hostoun, west of Prague.
- Also read: 14 dead, numerous injured in shooting at university in Prague
No evidence of a terrorist background
There is still uncertainty about a possible motive. According to police chief Martin Vondrasek, one hypothesis of the investigators is that the 24-year-old could also have been responsible for a double murder a week ago. A father and his daughter in early infancy were shot apparently for no reason in a forest on the outskirts of Prague. The case caused horror in the Czech Republic.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala now emphasized that there is no evidence of a terrorist background. The liberal-conservative cabinet met in Prague late on Thursday evening for an emergency meeting, which was also attended by President Petr Pavel. A one-day national mourning was declared across the country on December 23rd. Pavel warned against using the tragedy to prematurely criticize the police or spread false information. He had cut short a visit to France to rush back to Prague.
“Shocked and sad”
Numerous heads of state and government as well as other top politicians from home and abroad expressed their condolences. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (both ÖVP) appeared “shocked” on X. “In these painful hours, our thoughts are with the people of the Czech Republic, the families and friends of the victims,” Van der Bellen posted.
According to his spokesman, UN Secretary General António Guterres was also “shocked and saddened” by the incident at Charles University. He expressed his deep condolences to the families of those who died on Friday night and wished the injured a speedy and full recovery.
EU Commission President Ursula told X that she was “shocked by the senseless violence that claimed several lives in Prague today.” She also expressed her condolences. The White House condemned the “senseless” violence. French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne expressed their “shock” and “solidarity”. Borne said he had spoken to Pavel about the attack – the Czech president was wrapping up a visit to France on Thursday.
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Source: Nachrichten
