Prague University Mass Shooting: Czech Republic Grieves for Victims

The Czech Republic is observing a day of national mourning for the victims of the mass shooting at a Prague university. The flags on official buildings are being flown at half-mast, and a minute of silence will be observed at midday. The attack took place at Charles University's Faculty of Arts building, where a student shot and killed 14 people before taking his own life. The motive behind the attack is still under investigation. This incident is one of the deadliest lone gunman attacks in Europe in recent times. Among those killed were the head of the Institute of Musicology at the university, a translator, and a student. The shooting occurred in the corridors and classrooms of the building before the gunman shot himself as security forces closed in. Witnesses described the chaotic scene as people ran for their lives. Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed shock and condemned the act, emphasizing the pain and sorrow felt by the entire society before Christmas. The gunman is also suspected of killing his father and a young man with his two-month-old daughter prior to the university attack. Charles University, founded in 1347, is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest in Europe.