Following the deadliest peacetime attack in Czech Republic history, which left 14 people dead and 25 injured, Prague was in shock and mourning on Friday.
The brutal incident on Thursday was also the first-ever school or college shooting in the Czech Republic, leaving the nation and its top officials stunned.
Prague, a festive winter wonderland just 24 hour before, felt somber and empty on Friday morning. A makeshift memorial of candles and flowers was set up at the university’s historical headquarters overnight, with people coming to pay their respects from early in the morning, despite heavy snow and rain.
Addressing the nation on Thursday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the shooting “a senseless attack” and said “this Christmas will be unimaginably sad.”
“Like many of you, I am deeply offended and disgusted by this senseless and heinous violence,” Fiala remarked. Czech President Petr Pavel said he felt “deep sadness and also helpless anger over the loss of so many young lives.”
Pope Francis, meanwhile, said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the shooting, according to a Vatican statement released Friday.
“His HolinePope Francis conveys his spiritual proximity to everyone impacted by this catastrophe,” the statement read.
In a press conference Friday, Prague police chief Petr Matějček also confirmed the gunman – a 24-year-old man who was a student at the university – died by suicide. Police have not yet named him.
“I went to the site of the attack and I was horrified and shaken. And I have been with the police for 40 years,” Matějček told journalists.
“When I saw the amount of ammunition, the weapons that he brought, what he was prepared for, I can only thank my officers for their quick action — they prevented many more deaths.”
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Czech Police Chief Martin Vondrášek also said that having been a police officer for 35 years, he had “never seen anything as horrifying” as the shooting at Charles University in Prague that left 14 people dead and 25 more injured.
He said 13 people were killed at the scene, and one died after being taken to the hospital.
regarding privacy.He said that the Czech police have begun regular and sustained training for active shooter situations following the 2011 terror attacks in Norway.
“That was the moment we realised this kind of thing can happen anywhere,” he said. “I can assure you that not a week passes without an active shooter training somewhere in the Czech Republic,” he said.
Vondrášek praised the prompt response from police and other emergency services, which he said likely saved many lives.
The country’s Interior Minister, Vít Rakušan, made an emotional plea with Czech citizens to seek mental health help and not spread false information in the wake of the shooting.
“Please seek help. There are many resources. The Czech National Institute for Mental Health has many resources, including guides on what to do in crisis — and this is a crisis,” Rakušan told a news conference.
“There is no shame in asking for help. There is no shame in seeking professionals. Please, do not hesitate to do this,” he added.
Rakušan also asked the media and the public not to share information about the gunman and details of the shooting, saying that experience from abroad shows this could lead to copycat attacks.
“Do not give the perpetrator what he wanted. Do not give him the publicity, do not give anyone a chance to be inspired by this act,” he said.
olice, also verified that the gunman, a 24-year-old university student, took his own life. ng the deadly incident.
“We have adopted nationwide precautionary measures in relation to schools and other soft targets,” police said in a statement on Friday, adding that there is no information about any specific threat.
A woman cries outside the scene of the mass shooting.
The area around the building is popular with tourists and close to major attractions. It is just across the Vltava River from Prague Castle and five minute walk from the Old Town Square where Prague’s famous Christmas Markets were taking place. The historical Jewish Quarter is within a few hundred meters of the building.
Authorities are still investigating a motive in the rampage, which took place at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University. Originally established as one of the founding colleges of the university when it was founded in 1348, the school is known in Czech as the Faculty of Philosophy. Subjects including history, philosophy, art theory and languages are taught there.
Police said that as of midday on Friday, all 14 victims had been identified.
The school’s Department of Musicology declared that one of the victims of the shooting was Lenka Hlávková, the department’s director. Hlávková was a renowned expert in the musical culture of medieval central Europe and the department said in a statement her death was “extremely cruel” news.
Lidové Noviny, a Czech national daily newspaper, said in a statement that one of its employees, a proofreader and a first year student of Czech and Deaf studies Lucie Špindlerová was killed in the attack.
A newspaper photo of Špindlerová features a happy, youthful woman posing in a big hat and inhaling the scent of blooming flowers.
The newspaper said Špindlerová was “a colleague and, most importantly, a friend” and that her death was “extremely painful news.”
The identities of other victims have not been publicly announced.
A spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN on Friday that three foreign nationals were injured in the attack – two UAE nationals and one Dutch citizen.
