Crowded with tourists, the streets of Prague on Thursday, December 21, were in a state of panic after gunshots rang out in the early afternoon. Nearby, one of Europe's oldest universities had just been the scene of the worst mass shooting in the Czech Republic's history. Fourteen people died and 25 others were injured, 10 of whom are in serious condition. The shooting, which prompted heavily armed police to intervene in large numbers, took place just a stone's throw from a popular Christmas market.
The gunman, a 24-year-old unknown to the police, and whose identity has not yet been disclosed, opened fire at around 3 pm in the main building of Charles University's Faculty of Arts, where he was a student. Less than an hour after the attack the police announced that the man had been killed, although it is not yet known whether his death was the result of suicide or the intervention of security forces.
The immediate vicinity of the university was quickly cordoned off. On the social media platform X, photos showed students taking refuge outside the building, on the roof's ledge, and barricaded behind a pile of chairs inside.
Daniela Tinkova, a teacher at the university's Faculty of Arts, told the news site Denik N that she had barricaded herself and around 30 students into a small classroom after they heard gunshots. "The police told us on the phone to get down on the floor and keep quiet. From time to time, there was a knock on the door, but we didn't dare open it." Petr Nedoma, who was in a neighboring building, told Aktualne.cz that he saw "a young man standing in the corridor at the top of the Faculty of Arts (...) a gun in his hand. He fired in the direction (...) of Prague Castle."
By 7:30 pm, rescuers had finished evacuating those in the university. Not all of the victims have yet been identified. The area remained cordoned off overnight to allow forensic police to continue their investigations.
"There is no justification for this horrific act," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at an evening press conference. He stressed that the shooter likey acted alone and denied any link to a terrorist or organized group. "It's an unimaginable tragedy," said Interior Minister Vit Rakusan. "The atmosphere of pre-Christmas Czech Republic has been changed, by an act of one insane shooter, into something unrecognizable."
Martin Vondrasek, the Czech police chief, revealed at a press conference in Prague that the alleged perpetrator legally owned several firearms as well as a large amount of ammunition. He said his attack was "well thought out" and that the killer "was supposedly inspired by one terrorist attack in Russia" in the fall. Authorities were investigating whether chilling Russian-language messages posted on Telegram under the name David Kozak were linked to the shooter. One of the messages, which has since been deleted, praised recent shootings in Russia, including one perpetrated by a 14-year-old girl on December 7 in the town of Bryansk in the west of the country, killing one person and injuring five.
You have 50% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.