PRAGUE—A mass shooting at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Prague on Dec. 21 left at least 14 dead and 25 wounded.
Police say the 24-year-old shooter, a student, was inspired by a similar horrific event in Russia.
Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan described the shooting as “an unprecedentedly insane act that the Czech Republic has never seen in its history.”
According to Prague’s police chief, Martin Vondrasek, there was a huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition in the faculty building, and if it hadn’t been for the quick intervention of the police, the number of victims would’ve been many times higher.
No police officers or other emergency services personnel were injured in the crackdown on the shooter. According to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the shooting wasn’t the work of terrorists or an organized group. He said 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 fall.
According to preliminary information, David Kozak, a 24-year-old student from Kladno in central Bohemia, was the attacker. After killing 14 people and wounding others, the attacker 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,” Chief Vondrasek said, noting that there was no indication that the shooter had accomplices.
Police had no information that there was any other danger but couldn’t rule out a risk associated with items that may have been left at the school. A bomb squad was dispatched to the scene.
Czech President Petr Pavel, who will meet with state security forces immediately after returning from a business trip to France, expressed his deep regret and sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of the shooting. His French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, who received the Czech president at the Elysée Palace on Dec. 20, expressed “his solidarity with the victims, the injured, and their relatives, as well as with the Czech people and authorities.”
“What we know from the [United States] has become a reality in the Czech Republic. We firmly hope that a similar tragedy will not be repeated on campus or elsewhere in the Czech Republic,” said the management of another Czech university, the Czech Technical University in Prague.
Related Murders
Police suspect Mr. Kozak of killing his father on the same day.“A man was found dead in Hostoun this afternoon, having died a violent death. In connection with this, we have announced a search for another man, year 1999, who is suspected of this violent activity,” the Central Bohemian police stated.
Chief Vondrasek said, “We are also investigating a device that resembles an explosive device at a location in Kladno.”
Police there cordoned off the area around the house.
The shooter was also alleged to be in legal possession of several weapons, but it’s possible that he stole many of them from his father.
Police are also working with the theory that the shooter also murdered a man and an infant in the Klanovicky Forest on the eastern outskirts of Prague, where six days ago, an as-yet-unknown perpetrator shot and killed an adult and a child in the woods.
Shortly after noon, police received information that a 24-year-old man from the village of Hostoun in the Kladno region had left for Prague with the intention of taking his own life. Subsequently, the father of the alleged attacker, who was also a student at the Faculty of Philosophy in Prague, was found dead in the village.
“From the information I have, this was a premeditated horrific act that began in Kladno and, unfortunately, ended here,” Chief Vondrasek said.
According to the website iDnes.cz, the student had psychological problems. Police have confirmed that he wrote notes on social media that indicate that he planned the murder. He published his first post on Dec. 9, beginning by writing, “This is my diary about how I decided to go schoolshooting.” However, it isn’t confirmed whether this is a genuine account of the killer.
According to the newspaper, the young man received the Marian Szyjkowski Prize award from the Polish Institute in Prague. The award was given for works focusing on Poland since 2018 for his bachelor’s thesis.
The shooting has been reported by all major media outlets worldwide.
Reaction of Politicians
Many other world and European leaders have expressed their sincere condolences for the victims of the shooting in Prague. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was shocked by the senseless violence that claimed several lives. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called the shooting “despicable.”Mr. Fiala expressed his condolences: “I am extremely sorry for all those who were victims of the unjustifiable attack at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. I express my deepest condolences to their relatives and friends.
“Many lives, mostly of young people, have been needlessly extinguished, and there is no justification for this horrific act.”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said, “We stand by our Czech brothers in this difficult situation, and we are ready to provide any assistance that would mitigate the consequences of this terrible tragedy.”
“I am thinking of all the innocent victims, their relatives and friends. I am incredibly sorry that such a tragedy occurred in our neighbours on the eve of Christmas, a holiday of peace and family,” Slovak President Zuzana Caputova said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I am deeply shocked by the news of the tragic events in Prague, which resulted in the death and injury of civilians. I express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
The White House expressed condolences for what it called a “senseless act of violence.”
“Federal authorities are in contact with the Czech authorities who are investigating this incident, and we stand ready to provide additional support as needed,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told Reuters.
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, said, “It is heartbreaking to see one of Europe’s oldest universities as the scene of terror. My thoughts are with the families of the victims, and I wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Europe stands with the Czech Republic.”
European Council chief Charles Michel said, “Such violence should have no place in our societies.”
Other Czech politicians also expressed their condolences to the bereaved and praised the rapid response of the integrated rescue system.
“As Mayor of Prague, I must respond. And to reassure the people of Prague that they are safe,” Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda said.
“We have witnessed a tragedy of unprecedented proportions. It is terrible how many innocent lives have been lost.
“I extend my deepest condolences to all the bereaved. We must not give in to evil!”
“Although I cannot reverse or comfort the loss of life and the pain of people and their loved ones, I think in sorrow of all those affected by this horror. This senseless violence has no place in society,” Czech Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bartos wrote, noting that the faculty is his alma mater.
Andrej Babis, head of the Czech opposition ANO movement, said, “I think about the victims of the shooting, all the injured, but also all the students who had to go through something so crazy. I am absolutely shocked.”
