EXPLAINER
A gunman killed 14 individuals and injured 25 within the Czech Republic’s deadliest taking pictures.
The Czech Republic has declared a day of mourning after a taking pictures within the capital metropolis, Prague. World leaders have provided condolences, and police have boosted safety in faculties and different public amenities.
Right here is all you could know concerning the taking pictures:
When and the place did the taking pictures occur?
A scholar opened hearth on Thursday at 3pm (14:00 GMT) on the Charles College’s College of Arts, which sits in a busy vacationer space in Prague’s Previous City close to websites just like the 14th-century Charles Bridge.
The gunman struck the fourth flooring of the philosophy division constructing of the establishment situated close to the Vltava river in Jan Palach Sq..
How many individuals have been killed and injured?
The gunman first shot and killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun, simply west of Prague, earlier than killing 14 other people within the Czech capital and injuring 25, together with three overseas nationals — two from Saudi Arabia and one from the Netherlands — authorities mentioned.
Of the individuals killed, 13 have been recognized. Authorities warned that the loss of life toll may rise.
That is the deadliest mass taking pictures of its variety within the Czech Republic’s historical past. Beforehand, the nation’s worst mass taking pictures was in 2015 when a gunman opened hearth within the southeastern city of Uhersky Brod, killing eight individuals earlier than fatally taking pictures himself.
Who was the shooter at Charles College?
The alleged shooter was recognized as a 24-year-old scholar on the college. Authorities mentioned he was a high-achieving scholar with no prior legal document.
Nevertheless, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek mentioned later that primarily based on a search of his dwelling, the alleged gunman was additionally suspected within the killing of one other man and his two-month-old daughter in Prague on December 15.
The suspected gunman died on the scene, in line with the inside minister. Authorities are investigating whether or not he was killed by police or whether or not he died by suicide.
The taking pictures was premeditated, the police mentioned. Officers had “unconfirmed info from an account on a social community that he was supposedly impressed” by a mass taking pictures in Russia this 12 months, they mentioned.
After a search of the suspect’s dwelling, the police mentioned he legally owned a number of weapons and was armed throughout the assault.
What are the Czech Republic’s gun legal guidelines?
Czech firearms laws recognises the best to “purchase, preserve and bear firearms”. In 2021, a constitutional modification legally assured the best to self-defence with a weapon or the defence of another person.
To acquire a gun licence, persons are required to undergo a number of steps, together with safe-handling coaching and testing.