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A lone gunman armed with a sniper rifle picked folks off from the rooftop of a prestigious College in Prague at the moment throughout an hour-long taking pictures spree which ended when elite law enforcement officials stormed the constructing.
The stunning incident unfolded over a chaotic hour this afternoon, sending folks within the Czech capital fleeing in panic from the scene, and left at the least 15 folks useless with dozens extra injured in one of many nation’s worst ever mass shootings.
The majority of the bloodshed occurred within the philosophy division constructing of Charles College, the place the shooter was a scholar, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek mentioned, however started earlier in a small city ten miles away.
Experiences of the assault started this afternoon at round 2.30pm native time (1.30pm GMT), with reviews of an lively shooter at Charles College within the centre of the town.
However this got here after Czech police obtained data at 12.45pm of a person who had been killed within the village of Hostouň, who is known to be the shooter’s father.
The shooter has not been named publicly, however officers mentioned he was 24 years outdated.
A lone gunman (pictured) armed with a sniper rifle shot at folks from the rooftop of a prestigious College in Prague at the moment throughout an hour-long spree which ended when elite law enforcement officials stormed the constructing and ‘eradicated’ him
Movies emerged on-line displaying folks fleeing the College’s College of Arts constructing and throughout the close by, world-famous Charles Bridge.
The philosophy division of Charles College, which is situated on Jan Palach Sq. within the metropolis’s outdated city, was evacuated as police responded.
The police division mentioned the sq. – which sits on the Vltava River – had been sealed off. It urged folks to depart the encompassing streets and keep inside.
In the meantime, college students barricaded themselves in school rooms. Witnesses mentioned on social media they might hear pictures each inside and outdoors the constructing.
A college member of the college, Zora Hesova, mentioned folks had been locked in school rooms contained in the constructing as armed law enforcement officials descended on the scene.
He mentioned the shooter was on the fourth ground, whereas many individuals had been barricaded on the second ground of the constructing.
Others had been seen clinging on to windowsills on the surface of the five-storey constructing having climbed via home windows because the shooter opened hearth from the roof.
An electronic mail despatched to workers and college students of the college had mentioned the shooter was in one of many buildings. ‘Do not go anyplace, for those who’re within the workplaces, lock them and place furnishings in entrance of the door, flip off the lights,’ the e-mail mentioned.
Eyewitnesses described watching the black-clad gunmen methodically taking pictures at folks under within the space across the busy sq. fashionable with vacationers and locals.
Pavel Nedoma, the director of Rudolfinum Gallery, which is also situated on the sq., advised Czech public tv he noticed from a window an individual who was taking pictures a gun towards the close by Manes bridge that crosses the Vltava River.
Police mentioned emergency response models had been on the scene inside 12 minutes following the preliminary reviews of a taking pictures at 2.29pm native time.
Footage from the scene quickly confirmed armed police storming the constructing.
They had been pictured coming into its giant wood doorways at road stage, earlier than making their means on to the roof the place the shooter was firing from. The personal Nova TV reported a blast and a gunman on the roof of the constructing in Prague’s historic centre.
Photos of the shooters confirmed him holding a sniper rifle with a scope mounted on high. Nedoma mentioned the shooter ultimately stopped firing and threw the gun down onto the road under and put his fingers up as an indication of give up.
Different extraordinary photos present terrified college students cowering on a ledge excessive up on a school in a bid to cover from the gunman after others had been advised to barricade themselves in school rooms
A college member of the college, Zora Hesova, mentioned folks had been nonetheless locked in school rooms contained in the constructing as armed law enforcement officials descended on the scene
Dramatic video reveals terrified crowds of vacationers and locals sprinting throughout the well-known Charles Bridge – considered one of Europe’s high vacationer websites – after they heard the sickening sound of gunshots within the metropolis
Individuals might be seen working from a constructing in Prague
The witness mentioned they didn’t see what occurred after that, however police quickly introduced that the gunman had been ‘eradicated’.
Police later mentioned that the gunman’s physique was discovered on the sidewalk under.
‘At 3.20pm, data was obtained that the physique of the shooter was discovered on the sidewalk of the varsity constructing,’ police mentioned in an announcement.
‘We discovered that he’s a scholar on the College of Philosophy and that he’s supposed to offer a lecture at the moment at 2pm within the constructing in Celetná Road.’
‘As a result of devastating damage sustained by the suspect, we’re unable to substantiate his id,’ mentioned police spokesman Martin Vondráček.
It was later reported that the shooter had killed his father earlier within the day.
‘The shooter is useless, I am ready to be evacuated,’ tweeted one person, including an image of a barricaded door, presumed to be contained in the constructing.
‘I am praying I am alive. I locked the door earlier than the shooter tried to open it.’
Czech Inside Minister Vit Rakusan mentioned no different assailant was on the scene, however he urged folks to cooperate with police.
‘Upstairs on the walkway of the College of Arts, I noticed a person standing with a gun in his hand and taking pictures in direction of the Mánes bridge with sure delays,’ Nedoma mentioned.
‘I watched what was taking place from contained in the Rudolfinum for a very long time. I stayed within the constructing and was by the home windows for as a lot cowl as doable.
‘Then he put his fingers up and threw the gun in direction of the street. It remained mendacity by the philosophy school. Then lots of people appeared upstairs, I do not know if it was the police. I left the window and watched the police evacuate folks from the College of Philosophy, taking them away with their fingers behind their heads in numerous instructions, numerous vehicles, folks working round,’ Nedoma mentioned.
Armed police are seen on the balcony of the college in central Prague on Thursday
The taking pictures began at 3pm on the Charles College College of Arts constructing and police mentioned the gunman was ‘eradicated’ at 4pm after elite cops had been seen storming the constructing
Czech TV dwell broadcasts confirmed a number of ambulances and police vehicles with flashing lights lined up alongside the constructing accompanied by the sound of sirens.
The police mentioned greater than 15 folks had been killed within the taking pictures, and that the shooter’s physique had been discovered within the space. Prague’s rescue service mentioned about 30 others suffered varied accidents, together with eleven with critical ones.
The police mentioned the shooter was a scholar on the school of arts at Charles College.
Police gave no particulars concerning the victims or a doable motive for the taking pictures. Czech Inside Minister Vit Rakusan mentioned investigators don’t suspect a hyperlink to any extremist ideology or teams.
One witness advised information web site iDnes.cz that they received off on the tram cease by the varsity and ‘out of the blue I heard taking pictures’.
Klara, a scholar, advised the information web site she was amongst those that police evacuated from the constructing. ‘It was terribly scary, there have been quite a lot of policemen in every single place, who had been shouting at us with submachine weapons, telling us to run outdoors,’ she mentioned.
A newlywed British couple, who had been additionally close by, advised of the second a police officer ordered them to remain down in the course of the lively shooter scenario.
Tom Leese, 34, a video producer and his spouse Rachael, 31, an account director, had been having a drink within the Slivovitz Museum, near the place the taking pictures occurred.
Mr Leese mentioned: ‘A policeman got here in and began shouting loudly in what I assume was Czech. I requested for it in English and he mentioned there was an lively shooter and to remain inside and keep down.
‘The workers had been very calm, turned all of the lights off in a short time and urged us to remain calm, the restaurant was comparatively quiet.
‘The policeman left urgently and we stood within the nook of the restaurant.’
The couple, from Merstham in Surrey, had been stored within the museum for over an hour, listening to sirens outdoors.
An ambulance drives over a bridge in direction of the Charles College in central Prague, on December 21, 2023, following the lethal taking pictures
Mr Leese added: ‘Rachael continues to be in shock. ‘We had been meant to be having dinner on the restaurant proper by the constructing tonight and had been going to pop in for a drink earlier on, however we crossed the bridge as an alternative.
‘With everybody else being so calm it did not appear actual to me.’
Czech President Petr Pavel mentioned he was ‘shocked’ by Thursday’s taking pictures.
‘I’m shocked by the occasions… I want to categorical my deep remorse and honest condolences to the households and kinfolk of the victims claimed by the taking pictures,’ Pavel, who’s winding up a two-day go to to Paris on Thursday, mentioned on social media.
