Prague, 21 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - A gunman opened fire at a university in the centre of Prague on Thursday afternoon, killing at least 15 people and wounding 24, police chief Martin Vondrášek said.

 

The shooter is also dead. It is assumed that he was a student at the university who had murdered his father shortly beforehand and was wanted by police. However, formal identification is still pending.

 

The suspected perpetrator was likely inspired by rampages abroad. It is believed to be the worst gun attack in the history of the Czech Republic, which has been an independent country since 1993.

 

According to initial information, 24 people were injured, at least nine of them seriously or critically.

 

Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakušan said on public broadcaster CT that there were no indications of a second shooter or a terrorist background. He nevertheless called on the population to follow police instructions.

 

The shots were fired at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University on Jan Palach Square. The police were on the scene with a large contingent, including special forces.

 

Jan Palach Square is only a few hundred metres away from the famous Charles Bridge, the symbol of the city on the Vltava River.

 

Police called on people to avoid the area and cordoned off the square. Residents were told not to leave their homes. Photos showed students leaving the university building with their arms raised.

 

According to a report by the Nova television station, the shooter was last seen on the roof of the faculty building. An explosion was also reportedly heard.

 

Students and staff at the university posted on social media that they had barricaded themselves in lecture theatres and offices. Others climbed out of windows and stood on the roof ledge to hide from the shooter. The students and university staff were evacuated from the building by early evening.

 

Emergency services sent several ambulances and emergency doctors to the scene.

 

Charles University was founded in 1348, making it one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has around 49,500 students. Of these, around 8,000 study subjects such as German, Slavic studies and history at the Faculty of Arts.

 

Czech President Petr Pavel expressed his condolences to the relatives of those killed. He thanked the citizens in a post on X for following the instructions of the security forces.

 

Pavel cut short his current visit to France in order to return to the Czech Republic ahead of schedule, his office said.

 

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also cancelled a working visit to Moravia.

 

"Due to the tragic events, I have cancelled my work programme in Olomouc and will return to Prague," the liberal-conservative politician announced. He said he was in contact with the interior minister and the Czech police and asked "all citizens to follow the recommendations of the emergency services."

 

The government was due to convene for an emergency meeting late in the evening.

 

Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda expressed his shock.

 

"This is a tragedy," he told the CT public broadcaster. "The worst thing about it is that these things cannot be prevented."

 

He said that many people think that something like this could only happen in the United States, where many people own weapons, but it turns out that this is not the case. At the time of the shooting, he was in his residence not far from the university.

 

"The police locked us in, we were not allowed to leave the premises," said Svoboda.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he was deeply shocked by the news of the fatal shooting.

 

"I express my solidarity with the victims, the injured and their families, as well as with the Czech people and the Czech authorities," Macron said.