Prague shooting: Gunman dead after killing 10 at Prague university
Prague – Czech authorities say 10 people have been killed and “dozens” injured in a shooting at a university in Prague.
Police said the gunman had also been “eliminated” following the attack at Charles University, on Jan Palach Square in the city centre.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he had cancelled upcoming engagements in light of the “tragic events”.
University staff were told to “stay put”, barricade themselves in rooms and turn off the lights, Reuters reported.
Targ Patience, a British-Australian who was staying in a flat near the scene, told the BBC that he heard “a lot of gunshots”.
“I looked out of my balcony and saw the police arrive. A few officers were having a hard time stopping people walking towards the scene,” he sad.
Verified images from the scene appeared to show people clinging onto the outside wall of the university building, several storeys up.
“We heard four loud gunshots,” Joe Hyland, 18, from Truro, Cornwall, told the BBC. “Everyone was sprinting and running for cover.”
“I have a bad knee, am on a crutch. So I hobbled as quickly as possible,” added Mr Hyland, who was his first holiday with friends. “We got to the metro and went down there because we thought it would be safest.”
Students said they had barricaded themselves in classrooms.
“Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague,” Jakob Weizman, a student at Charles University, wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“Locked the door before the shooter tried to open it.”
“I looked out of my balcony and saw the police arrive. A few officers were having a hard time stopping people walking towards the scene,” he sad.
Verified images from the scene appeared to show people clinging onto the outside wall of the university building, several storeys up.
“We heard four loud gunshots,” Joe Hyland, 18, from Truro, Cornwall, told the BBC. “Everyone was sprinting and running for cover.”
“I have a bad knee, am on a crutch. So I hobbled as quickly as possible,” added Mr Hyland, who was his first holiday with friends. “We got to the metro and went down there because we thought it would be safest.”
Students said they had barricaded themselves in classrooms.
“Currently stuck inside my classroom in Prague,” Jakob Weizman, a student at Charles University, wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“Locked the door before the shooter tried to open it.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that she was “shocked by the senseless violence”. She added: “We stand and mourn with you.”
An email to staff at the philosophy faculty of Charles University, seen by Reuters, warned staff of the shooting.
It read: “Stay put, don’t go anywhere, if you’re in the offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights.”
Authorities said the whole of the square and several streets around the university were closed.
Charles University is located in Prague’s Old Town, about 500m from the historic Charles Bridge, a tourist magnet.