The Czech Republic is in mourning following the massacre at Charles University in Prague shortly before Christmas. “It’s a shock – none of us would have expected that something like this might happen,” said a hospital spokeswoman on behalf of many. The government declared one-day national mourning this Saturday. Flags should fly at half-mast and the fairy lights on the Christmas tree in Prague’s Old Town Square should go out.
- Video: Day of mourning following mass shooting
A funeral service is also planned in Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral. A student opened fire in the main building of the Faculty of Arts in downtown Prague on Thursday followingnoon, killing 14 people. In addition, the shooter was also dead, said the head of the Prague police, Petr Matejcek, on Friday – the young man probably shot himself. There was still uncertainty regarding the shooter’s possible motive. Before the bloody act, the 24-year-old is said to have murdered his father in his house in the municipality of Hostoun, west of Prague.
Perpetrator might also be responsible for double murder
The investigators also expressed a serious suspicion: One hypothesis is that the 24-year-old might 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. Ballistic investigations should now provide clarity.
Picture gallery: Shooting at Prague University
Shooting at Prague University (Photo: MICHAL CIZEK (AFP)) Bild 1/15
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All victims have now been identified. There were no foreigners among the dead. Two citizens from the United Arab Emirates and a Dutchman were among the injured, it said. When asked on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry in Vienna emphasized that, following consultation with the Austrian Embassy in Prague, there is currently no indication that Austrian citizens were affected by the shooting attack in Prague. People laid flowers and lit candles in front of the university building. According to the latest information, 25 people were injured, ten of them seriously. Some suffered bullet wounds in the head, chest or extremities and had to be operated on immediately. All were in stabilized condition.
Dramatic scenes: eyewitness reports
Eyewitnesses to the university attack reported dramatic scenes. “We were having lessons and suddenly we heard a strange bang,” a survivor told the radio in the hospital. Then suddenly someone shot through the door. First, the students barricaded the entrance with benches. When the shooter returned, they climbed out the window, balanced over the eaves and jumped onto a balcony below to save themselves. Police operational videos showed a chaotic situation and people in panic.
