A lone gunman opened fire in a university building in central Prague, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting.
The bloodshed took place in the philosophy department building of Charles University, where the killer was a student, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said.
The suspected gunman also died. His name has not been released.
Mr Vondrasek said 24 people were injured and authorities warned that the death toll could rise.
Police gave no details about the victims or a possible motive for the shooting at the building near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square. Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said investigators do not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.
Mr Vondrasek said police believe the suspect killed his father in his hometown of Hostoun, just west of Prague, earlier in the day, and that he had also been planning to kill himself.
The police chief described the suspect as an excellent student but did not provide any other information.
The suspect suffered “devastating injuries” but it was not clear if he killed himself or was shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with officers, Mr Vondrasek said, adding that there was “nothing to suggest that he had an accomplice”.
The suspect legally owned several guns, and what he did was “well thought out, a horrible act”, Mr Vondrasek said.
The building where the shooting took place is located near the Vltava River in Jan Palach Square, a busy tourist area in Prague’s Old Town.
It is just a few minutes’ walk from the picturesque Old Town Square, a major tourist attraction where thousands of visitors have been enjoying a popular Christmas market.
The government quickly sought to quell concerns that the massacre was backed by foreign interests.
“There’s no indication that it has anything to do with international terrorism,” Mr Rakusan said.
“It’s a horrible crime, something the Czech Republic has never experienced,” he said. (LBC)