Grief and unanswered questions after gun attack in Prague leaves 13 dead
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan corrected the number of victims downwards on Friday. "We know the identity of the 14 dead. They are the 13 victims of the crazed gunman and himself," Rakusan said on the country's public television. Previously there had been talk of 15 dead, including the shooter.
On Friday, the police also confirmed the suspicion that the shooter killed himself after the crime. He himself was a student at Charles University and several of his fellow students were among his victims.
According to Interior Minister Rakusan, three of the 25 injured were foreigners. According to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of them was a Dutch citizen.
The Minister of the Interior had already stated on Thursday that there were no indications of a connection to international terrorism. The shooter was therefore a lone perpetrator. He was not known to the police and, according to the investigators, had a "huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition".
Police chief Martin Vondrasek said with reference to research in online networks that the perpetrator had been inspired by a "similar case" in Russia this fall. The official did not provide any further details.
The attack was carried out at the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University in the historic center of Prague. According to Vondrasek, officers had already begun searching for the 24-year-old after the man's father was found dead in the village of Hostoun, west of Prague.
The police searched the main building of the Faculty of Philosophy on the assumption that they would find the 24-year-old there at a lecture. However, the shooter entered another building of the faculty and was not found in time.
At around 3 p.m., the first information about shots was finally received. According to Vondrasek, the rapid reaction force was on site within twelve minutes. The shooter's body was found at around 3.20 pm.
The 24-year-old is also suspected of killing a young man and his two-month-old daughter on December 15, when the father was walking with his baby in a stroller in a forest in a Prague suburb. According to police chief Vondrasek, the investigation into the mysterious case was initially unsuccessful until traces were found on the dead father of the 24-year-old in Hostoun, which made it possible to establish a link between the two cases.
Police officers continued to secure traces of the bloody crime at the university on Friday. An impromptu memorial site with hundreds of candles was set up in front of the university near Prague's famous Charles Bridge, where the head of government, Fiala, also laid flowers. The Czech government declared a national day of mourning on Saturday.
In response to the bloodbath, the police guarded several places on Friday, including several schools. This precautionary measure was "a signal that we are here", the police explained.
The crime caused horror beyond the country's borders. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also expressed their condolences. Expressions of grief also came from the White House in Washington, the Elysée Palace in Paris and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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- The attack occurred at the Faculty of Philosophy, a prominent building located in the heart of Prague's historic center, which is part of Karls University.
- Following the attack, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan stated that the 13 victims, including the shooter, were known to authorities.
- The gunman, a student at Charles University, had reportedly accessed a vast amount of firearms and ammunition prior to the attack.
- Police chief Martin Vondrasek mentioned that the perpetrator had been inspired by a similar incident in Russia and was searching for him after his father's body was discovered in Hostoun.
- During the crime, three foreigners were among the 25 individuals who suffered injuries, with one of them being a Dutch citizen, according to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- In response to the open fire attack, police officers established an increased presence around various places, including multiple schools, out of concern for public safety.
- The Prague Police Department continued to investigate the crime scene at the Faculty of Philosophy on Friday, gathering evidence and searching for any potential leads.
- Mourning the tragic event, hundreds of residents created an impromptu memorial with candles near Prague's Charles Bridge, where the head of government, Fiala, also laid a floral tribute.
- In the wake of the Firearm attack, international leaders and organizations, including Germany's Federal Chancellor, President, and Foreign Minister, expressed their condolences and sympathy for the victims and their families.
Source: www.stern.de
