At least 14 dead and 24 injured in shooting at Prague University
According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the shooting was not the work of terrorists.
PRAGUE—A mass shooting at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Prague on Thursday left more than 14 dead and 24 wounded. Police say the 24-year-old shooter, a student, was inspired by a similar horrific event in Russia. Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan described the shooting as “an unprecedentedly insane act that the Czech Republic has never seen in its history.”
According to Police President Martin Vondrášek, there was a huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition in the faculty building and if it had not been for the quick intervention of the police, the number of victims would have been many times higher.
No police officers or other emergency services were injured in the crackdown on the shooter. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the shooting was not the work of terrorists or an organized group. The security forces assured him that they had the situation fully under control and that there was no danger to citizens.
Police are also investigating information that the young man was inspired by a similar terrorist act committed in Russia in the autumn.
According to preliminary information, David Kozak, a 24-year-old student from Kladno in central Bohemia, was the attacker. After shooting 14 people and wounding others, the attacker subsequently shot himself. He was also shot at by intervening police officers.
“From the background checks so far, the man is a blank slate for us. We found him to be in legal possession of several firearms. There was nothing at all objectionable about his background,” said Mr. Vondrasek. He said there was no indication that the shooter had accomplices.
