2023. December 22 – 05:47
People light candles in front of the main building of Charles University after the shooting on Thursday – Photograph: David W Cerny/Reuters
The Czech Republic declared a national day of mourning on Saturday after a gunman killed 14 people and wounded 25 others at Charles University in Prague on Thursday afternoon.
Czech President Petr Pavel spoke of his deep sadness and helpless anger at the huge loss of human lives. Czech Prime Minister Peter Fiala said in a statement: “We are all shocked by this terrible act. It is difficult to find words to describe the pain and sadness that our entire society feels in the days leading up to Christmas.”
Fiala declared a national day of mourning on Saturday, during which flags on all public buildings will be flown at half-mast and a minute of silence will be observed at noon. Since the shooting, many sporting events in the country have also been cancelled. On Thursday night, people lit candles and placed flowers near the shooting site.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. the BBC According to his report, the police stated that according to their as-yet unconfirmed information from social media, the attack may have been inspired by a similar incident in Russia. David K., a 24-year-old university student suspected of being the shooter, lived about twenty kilometers away, in a village of 1,200 called Huston. The police found the young man’s father dead in his home on Thursday afternoon, and according to the authorities, he may have been the one who killed him, then went to the university to kill him. Police also announced that the gunman was also suspected of killing a young man and his two-month-old daughter, who were found dead on December 15 in a forest on the outskirts of Prague.
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