EXPLAINER
A gunman killed 14 individuals and injured 25 within the Czech Republic’s deadliest capturing.
The Czech Republic has declared a day of mourning after a capturing within the capital metropolis, Prague. World leaders have provided condolences, and police have boosted safety in colleges and different public services.
Right here is all you should know in regards to the capturing:
When and the place did the capturing occur?
A scholar opened hearth on Thursday at 3pm (14:00 GMT) on the Charles College’s School 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 positioned close to the Vltava river in Jan Palach Sq..
How many individuals had 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 different individuals within the Czech capital and injuring 25, together with three overseas nationals — two from Saudi Arabia and one from the Netherlands — authorities stated.
Of the individuals killed, 13 have been recognized. Authorities warned that the demise toll might rise.
That is the deadliest mass capturing of its variety within the Czech Republic’s historical past. Beforehand, the nation’s worst mass capturing was in 2015 when a gunman opened hearth within the southeastern city of Uhersky Brod, killing eight individuals earlier than fatally capturing himself.
Who was the shooter at Charles College?
The alleged shooter was recognized as a 24-year-old scholar on the college. Authorities stated he was a high-achieving scholar with no prior felony file.
Nonetheless, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek stated 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 capturing was premeditated, the police stated. Officers had “unconfirmed data from an account on a social community that he was supposedly impressed” by a mass capturing in Russia this 12 months, they stated.
After a search of the suspect’s dwelling, the police stated he legally owned a number of weapons and was armed in the course of the assault.
What are the Czech Republic’s gun legal guidelines?
Czech firearms laws recognises the appropriate to “purchase, maintain and bear firearms”. In 2021, a constitutional modification legally assured the appropriate to self-defence with a weapon or the defence of another person.
To acquire a gun licence, individuals are required to undergo a number of steps, together with safe-handling coaching and testing.
