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The death toll from a shooting today at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in central Prague has risen to at least 15, with 24 injured, Czech Police President Martin Vondrášek said this evening.
Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the shooter, who suffered life-threatening injuries. They are investigating the possibility that he is a 24-year-old man wanted for killings in the central Bohemian city of Kladno.
Police received tip-off two hours before
Shortly after noon, police received a tip that the 24-year-old man from the village of Hostoun said he intended to travel to Prague and take his own life, according to Martin Vondrášek. Later, authorities found the suspect's father dead in the village.
Police had information that the shooter planned to attend a lecture at the Faculty of Arts building on Celetná Street in downtown Prague. They evacuated the building but the shooting occurred at another building at Jan Palach Square.
"We learned he planned to attend a lecture at the Faculty of Arts building on Celetna Street at 2 p.m., so we immediately responded and evacuated the building, completing the evacuation at 2:22 p.m., and conducting further search operations for this man," Vondrášek said. "At 2:59 p.m. we received the first reports of a shooting at the Faculty of Arts building on Palach Square."
Police say the perpetrator was inspired by a similar horrific incident abroad. Bomb squad searches continue at the faculty as police have not yet begun identifying the victims, Vondrášek added. Police said there is no indication the shooter had any accomplices. Authorities also fired on the man.
2/2 At the moment, we can confirm more than 15 dead and dozens injured. We have no information at this time that the perpetrator is linked to any terrorist organization. We are still investigating the identity of the victims. However, the assailant has been eliminated.
— Policie ÄŒR (@PolicieCZ) December 21, 2023
Police have found no evidence of any other current threats, but cannot rule out risks from any items he may have left behind at the school, Vondrášek said. "We are also investigating a device resembling an explosive discovered at the Kladno site."
Killer planned attacks on social media
The suspect wrote on the social media platform Telegram on Dec. 17 that he hated the world and wanted to cause as much pain as possible before taking his life, according to Vondrasek. His last post on Dec. 19 mentioned hearing a ringing in his ears.
Vondrášek said police have information from the man's social media account indicating he was inspired by a terrorist attack in Russia earlier this month. "But we must thoroughly examine his entire profile and evaluate the information," he added.
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said there is no sign the university shooting was connected to international terrorism. He called it an "unprecedentedly insane act that the Czech Republic has never seen in its history."
Rakušan urged people to avoid spreading unconfirmed information on social media and to rely only on official reports from the police and his ministry. "Various untruths and speculation can only hinder police work and increase public fear," he noted.
