Prague shooting: Victims identified as Czechs mourn 14 dead in university attack - The Independent

Moment armed police storm Prague university after shooting captured in bodycam footage

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The gunman behind the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting has been identified as 24-year-old David Kozak.

The history student opened fire on the fourth floor of the Charles University in Prague on Thursday afternoon, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 with legally owned weapons.

He is believed to have killed his father before carrying out the massacre at his university.

Kozak is also suspected of killing a man and his four-month-old daughter in Prague a week ago, the city’s police chief Martin Vondrasek said.

Authorities on Friday announced that all victims in Thursday’s shooting in Prague have been identified and none of them were foreign citizens.

Political leaders, students, friends of the victims and others came together to light candles during an impromptu vigil for the victims as the city grappled with the mass shooting.

“A few of my friends study at the philosophy faculty at Charles University,” said Kristof Unger, a student who attended the vigil. “They have been really traumatised by the shooting there and I just wanted to make them feel a little bit better.”

1703370638

First Prague shooting victim named as more than a dozen people killed in Charles University massacre

The first victim of a mass shooting in central Prague has been named, with 14 people killed by a gunman who opened fire at the prestigious Charles University, Holly Evans reports.

Among those killed was Lenka Hlavkova, the head of the Institute of Musicology at the university’s Faculty of Arts, gunned down on Thursday afternoon by student David Kozak.

“We express our deepest condolences to all the bereaved, especially to the family,” a faculty spokesperson said. “It’s extremely cruel news for all of us. Let’s stay supporting each other,” they said.

Alexander Butler23 December 2023 22:30

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What we know about the Charles University attack that left 14 dead

The popular tourist destination of Prague has been left reeling after a lone gunman opened fire on students at a top university, in what has become the country’s worst mass shooting, Athena Stavrou reports.

Social media videos captured the panic that broke out on Thursday afternoon at Charles University in the city centre, with tourists taking cover and a group of desperate students clinging to a building ledge in a bid to save their lives.

Czech police raced to the scene of the shooting at Jan Palach Square shortly after 3pm, and were confronted with the horrifying reality that 13 people had been killed, with the gunman taking his own life shortly afterwards.

Alexander Butler23 December 2023 21:30

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Watch: Moment armed police storm Prague university

The moment armed police stormed a Prague university building after a mass shooting was captured on bodycam footage from the scene on Thursday, 21 December.

Officers entered the Jan Palach library at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts after a gunman opened fire.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting. David Kozak, 24, has been named as the gunman.

Moment police storm Prague university after shooting captured in bodycam footage

The moment armed police stormed a Prague university building after a mass shooting was captured on bodycam footage from the scene on Thursday, 21 December. Officers entered the Jan Palach library at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts after a gunman opened fire. At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting. David Kozak, 24, has been named as the gunman. Authorities have confirmed that the shooter was a history student at the university and that he acted alone.

Alexander Butler23 December 2023 20:30

1703359838

Piles of ammunition and barricaded classrooms: Police reveal how Prague mass shooting unfolded

The gunman who killed 14 people during a rampage at a university in Prague took his own life after a rooftop shootout, police have revealed, Alex Ross reports.

David Kozak, 24, took his own life by shooting himself as armed police cornered him on the balcony of the Charles University’s Faculty of Arts building.

He had by then killed more than a dozen people and injured 25 more with an assault rifle. Lenka Hlavkova, the head of the Institute of Musicology at the university’s Faculty of Arts, is the first of his victims to be named, a mother who leaves behind a young family with two sons.

Alexander Butler23 December 2023 19:30

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Watch: Moment Prague police arrest man ‘inspired’ by university shooter

Police in Prague arrested a man who said he was “inspired” by the Prague shooting on Thursday 21 December.

Czech Police said they received a call after the university shooting, with the caller telling police “he was inspired by the shooter,” and that he “wanted to buy a gun and also kill.”

Police managed to identify the man a few hours after his initial call and arrested him, which they posted to X, formerly Twitter. Footage shows armed officers forcibly entering the man’s residence.

Czech police have said that since the shooting, they received several cases of people who are allegedly inspired by the university shooting, and are responding instantly to such cases.

Moment Prague police arrest man ‘inspired’ by university shooter

Police in Prague arrested a man who said he was “inspired” by the Prague shooting on Thursday 21 December. Czech Police said they received a call after the university shooting, with the caller telling police “he was inspired by the shooter,” and that he “wanted to buy a gun and also kill.” Police managed to identify the man a few hours after his initial call and arrested him, which they posted to X, formerly Twitter. Footage shows armed officers forcibly entering the man’s residence. Czech police have said that since the shooting, they received several cases of people who are allegedly inspired by the university shooting, and are responding instantly to such cases.

Alexander Butler23 December 2023 18:30

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Prague Airport evacuated over bomb threat

Prague Airport has been evacuted over a bomb threat just days after 24-year-old David Kozak went on a shooting rampage and left 14 dead.

“We have received information about a bomb threat in the transit area of Terminal 2. After the evacuation of the affected area, a pyrotechnic inspection was carried out, which was flawless,” the airport said on X.

“The operation of the entire airport has now been restored under increased security measures.”

Alexander Butler23 December 2023 17:12

1703343600

Bells ring across Czech Republic to mourn victims of mass shooting

Bells rang across the Czech Republic on Saturday and flags flew at half mast as the country mourned victims of the country's worst mass shooting that killed 14 at a Prague university on Thursday.

Archbishop Jan Graubner served a mass at the main St. Vitus cathedral at the Prague Castle and the country observed a minute of silence at noon, with people stopping in streets amid heavy rain and snow, and in malls during Christmas shopping.

A 24-year old student went on a shooting rampage at the Charles University's Faculty of Arts in downtown Prague on Thursday, killing students and lecturers before shooting himself as a police squad closed in on him at the top of the school's building.

Relatives, friends and colleagues shared condolences on social networks. More than 25 people were taken to hospitals and 13 suffered serious wounds.

Mourners kept bringing candles and flowers to makeshift memorials outside the Faculty of Arts as well as the Charles University's headquarters nearby in the historic city centre.

"We are from a very small city, near from Prague, from Louny and one of our, not friends, but neighbours in our city died here," said Vlasta Roflik outside the Faculty of Arts. "She was a professor, music professor. It's very sad. Sorry."

Vera Eliaskova said her friend was at the school during the shooting. "She was directly on the fourth floor. Her colleague ran to her door and told her to lock herself and cover ... She covered under the table," she said. "I saw her yesterday and felt sorry for her. She was still shaking."

People attend a mass commemorating the victims of a shooting at one of Charles University's buildings, as they observe a national mourning day, at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 15:00

1703340000

Moment Prague police arrest man ‘inspired’ by university shooter

Police in Prague arrested a man who said he was “inspired” by the Prague shooting on Thursday 21 December.

Czech Police said they received a call after the university shooting, with the caller telling police “he was inspired by the shooter,” and that he “wanted to buy a gun and also kill.”

Police managed to identify the man a few hours after his initial call and arrested him, which they posted to X, formerly Twitter. Footage shows armed officers forcibly entering the man’s residence.

Czech police have said that since the shooting, they received several cases of people who are allegedly inspired by the university shooting, and are responding instantly to such cases.

Rhys Jones reports:

Moment Prague police arrest man ‘inspired’ by university shooter

Police in Prague arrested a man who said he was “inspired” by the Prague shooting on Thursday 21 December. Czech Police said they received a call after the university shooting, with the caller telling police “he was inspired by the shooter,” and that he “wanted to buy a gun and also kill.” Police managed to identify the man a few hours after his initial call and arrested him, which they posted to X, formerly Twitter. Footage shows armed officers forcibly entering the man’s residence. Czech police have said that since the shooting, they received several cases of people who are allegedly inspired by the university shooting, and are responding instantly to such cases.

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 14:00

1703336451

What we know about Charles University attack that left 14 dead

Athena Stavrou reports:

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 13:00

1703332851

Watch live: Czech President attends church service for victims of Prague shooting

Watch live as Czech President Petr Pavel attends a church service for victims of the Charles University shooting.

The Czech Republic has declared Saturday, 23 December, a day of mourning after 14 people were killed and 25 were wounded after a shooting at a Prague university by a 24-year-old student.

Police are working to uncover the motive behind the attack, which is believed to be the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.

Rhys Jones reports:

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 12:00

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2023-12-23 22:48:08Z
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Israeli airstrike kills Gaza aid worker and 70 of his extended family, UN says - The Guardian

An Israeli military airstrike killed more than 70 members of an extended family, including a veteran UN aid worker, as the UN secretary general warned that the scale of death and destruction inside Gaza is blocking delivery of desperately needed aid.

Issam al-Mughrabi, 56, was killed with his wife, five children and dozens of other relatives in a bombing near Gaza City, said the head of the UN development programme (UNDP) in a statement that also called for an urgent ceasefire.

“The loss of Issam and his family has deeply affected us all,” UNDP administrator Achim Steiner said. “The UN and civilians in Gaza are not a target. This war must end. No more families should endure the pain and suffering that Issam’s family and countless others are experiencing.”

On Saturday, Hamas also claimed that an Israeli military airstrike might have killed five hostages. Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, said that it had lost contact with the group responsible for holding the Israelis captive.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond to the claims, but it could add to pressure on the government from some families of those held in Gaza, who are calling for a ceasefire to allow the release of their loved ones.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed the war will continue until Hamas is “destroyed”, defying growing international demands for a ceasefire. These are now coming even from close allies such as the UK and Germany, which are concerned about the civilian toll of Israel’s offensive.

The death toll from Israeli strikes inside Gaza climbed to 20,258, the majority of them women and children, said the Hamas-run health authorities on Saturday. Thousands more are thought to be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

UNDP aid worker Mughrabi was the most recent addition to a fast growing list of UN losses among those deaths.

On average, one or two UN employees have died in Gaza each day of the war – more than 130 in total. That toll is “something we have never seen in the history of the United Nations”, said its secretary general, António Guterres.

Speaking after the UN security council passed a resolution calling for a massive increase in aid shipments, he warned that getting more supplies across the border into Gaza is just the first step towards staving off the imminent threat of famine and deadly epidemics.

“Many people are measuring the effectiveness of the humanitarian operation in Gaza based on the number of trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, the UN and our partners that are allowed to unload aid across the border,” Guterres said. “This is a mistake.”

Distribution inside Gaza is equally important and the way Israel is waging war is “creating massive obstacles” to getting aid to hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need, Guterres added. “An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security, staff who can work in safety, logistical capacity and the resumption of commercial activity. These four elements do not exist,” he said.

There are not enough lorries or fuel, roads have been bombed, or blocked by rubble or unexploded munitions, and security is fraying as hunger and desperation grow.

UN staff are often trying to work without power or communications, through mass displacement and the deaths of relatives, colleagues and friends.

The logistics problems detailed by Guterres include a simple question of vehicle capacity. Every pallet of aid that arrives at the border has to be unloaded and the cargo reloaded into different lorries inside Gaza for distribution there.

“We ourselves have a limited and insufficient number of trucks available for this,” Guterres said. “Many of our vehicles and trucks were destroyed or left behind following our forced, hurried evacuation from the north, but the Israeli authorities have not allowed any additional trucks to operate in Gaza. This is massively hampering the aid operation.

“Delivering in the north is extremely dangerous due to active conflict, unexploded ordnance and heavily damaged roads. Everywhere, frequent communications blackouts make it virtually impossible to coordinate the distribution of aid and to let people know how to access it.”

Guterres said a humanitarian ceasefire was the only way to provide quantities of aid that would “begin to meet the desperate needs of people in Gaza”.

The UN security council did not demand a suspension of hostilities on Friday, after the US said it would veto any resolution that did during a long week of negotiations. Instead, it appealed only for the creation of “conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities”.

The US, Israel’s staunchest ally, says it has a right to defend itself against Hamas after militants broke through the border on 7 October and killed about 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and took more than 200 others hostage.

Chief military spokesman R Adm Daniel Hagari said late on Friday that Israeli forces were “nearing full operational control” in the north of Gaza. Fighting raged around Gaza City on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing residents, with thick smoke pooling over northern Jabalia, Gaza’s largest refugee camp.

Israel has urged civilians to leave northern Gaza since its ground operation began in October. But not everyone is able to move and even areas designated as safe in the south are being bombed. With shelters being overcrowded and short of food and water, some residents decided to try to wait out the fighting at home.

“Where should we go to? There is no place safe,” said Ziad, a medic and father of six, speaking to Reuters by phone. “They ask people to head to [the central Gaza city of] Deir al-Balah, where they bomb day and night.”

The latest evacuation orders cover Bureij, a refugee camp in central Gaza, and affected more than 150,000 people, said Thomas White, the Gaza director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees. The intensifying impact of Israeli airstrikes and the blockade mean many internal refugees now travel on foot or in donkey carts. Almost all of Gaza’s population has been displaced, some several times.

“The Israeli army just orders people to move into areas where there are ongoing airstrikes,” White said in a post on X. “No place is safe, nowhere to go.”

Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties, saying the militant group uses civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, to shield military facilities. Hamas denies using people as human shields.

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Prague shooting: Victims identified as Czechs mourn 14 dead in university attack - The Independent

Moment armed police storm Prague university after shooting captured in bodycam footage

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

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The gunman behind the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting has been identified as 24-year-old David Kozak.

The history student opened fire on the fourth floor of the Charles University in Prague on Thursday afternoon, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 with legally owned weapons.

He is believed to have killed his father before carrying out the massacre at his university.

Kozak is also suspected of killing a man and his four-month-old daughter in Prague a week ago, the city’s police chief Martin Vondrasek said.

Authorities on Friday announced that all victims in Thursday’s shooting in Prague have been identified and none of them were foreign citizens.

Political leaders, students, friends of the victims and others came together to light candles during an impromptu vigil for the victims as the city grappled with the mass shooting.

“A few of my friends study at the philosophy faculty at Charles University,” said Kristof Unger, a student who attended the vigil. “They have been really traumatised by the shooting there and I just wanted to make them feel a little bit better.”

1703329579

Watch: Moment Prague police arrest man ‘inspired’ by university shooter

Moment Prague police arrest man 'inspired' by university shooter

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 11:06

1703326525

Czech Republic holds a national day of mourning for the victims of its worst mass killing

National flags on public buildings were at half-staff and people across the Czech Republic are set to observe a minute of silence as the country holds a day of national mourning on Saturday to honor the victims of the worst mass killing in Czech history.

Bells will toll at churches at noon and a Mass at St. Vitus cathedral in Prague, the biggest in the country, will be celebrated for the victims. President Petr Pavel is scheduled to attend the service that is open to everyone.

Similar religious services will be held in other cities and towns, while Christmas markets in a number of places were closed or reduced their programs amid boosted security measures.

Authorities said that 13 people died at the scene in the Faculty of Arts of Charles University and one died later in a hospital. A total of 25 people were wounded, including three foreign nationals.

Milos Vystrcil, speaker of Parliament's upper house, the Senate, was among many who have been coming together to light candles at an impromptu memorial for the victims created in front of the university headquarters.

"It's been a horrible experience for us all but it still can't be compared with what the victims had to experience at the time of the attack and what their dear ones have to experience now," Vystrcil said. "I think that to help them at this point we express our support and that's what we're all doing now."

People pay respects outside the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University following a mass shooting, during the day of national mourning in central Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 10:15

1703323870

Police seek motive for shooting

Police have released no details about a possible motive for the shooting.

The interior minister said Thursday that investigators did not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.

Officials said they believed the gunman acted alone.

He has no criminal record.

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 09:31

1703321147

Czechs mourn victims of university shooting as police patrol public areas

Czechs mourned the victims of the country's worst mass shooting as police tightened security around schools and other public buildings across the country on Friday after a student gunman killed 14 people at a Prague university building on Thursday.

At the Charles University headquarters, crowds that included Prime Minister Petr Fiala and U.S. Ambassador Bijan Sabet paid tribute to the victims. Some knelt to light candles and lay flowers while others stood crying and hugging each other.

"We are here to show our support as fellow students," said Czech student Daniel Broz.

"I was on the other side of the river and hearing gunshots, pops and not knowing what is going on and then a flurry of police cars passing by was absolutely surreal especially as a Czech who has never witnessed an event similar to this before."

Charles University cancelled all lectures and events on Friday a day after the shooting in the central European country of 10.9 million where over 300,000 people own guns but mass shootings are rare.

The Health Ministry said 27 people were admitted or treated at six Prague hospitals, many with gunshot wounds. Out of those, 12 remained in serious condition and at least one in critical condition.

One of the victims had died in hospital.

A police officer walks across a bridge over the Vltava river in downtown Prague, Czech Republic on Thursday

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 08:45

1703318425

Everything we know about gunman David Kozák

The identity of the gunman who opened fire at a Prague university on Thursday killing 14 people has been revealed.

Student David Kozák opened fire on the fourth floor of Charles University in Jan Palach Square shortly after 3pm, with chilling images appearing of the shooter dressed in black, taking aim from a balcony with a large gun.

Police raced to the scene and evacuated students and tourists near the building in the city centre, with Kozak’s body found a short while later with “devastating injuries”.

Authorities have confirmed that the 24-year-old was a history student at the university and that he acted alone.

Athena Stavrou and Holly Evans report.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 08:00

1703314800

Watch: People cling to Prague university building ledge during shooting

People hid on the ledge of a Prague university building during a mass shooting in which at least 14 people were killed on Thursday, 21 December.

A group wae filmed huddling together below a window on the outside of the Jan Palach Library at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts.

More here.

People cling to Prague university building ledge during mass shooting

People hid on the ledge of a Prague university building during a mass shooting in which at least 14 people were killed on Thursday, 21 December. A group were filmed huddling together below a window on the outside of the Jan Palach Library at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts. Police said a 24-year-old Czech student shot dead his father, then killed 14 people and wounded 25 others at the university in the country’s worst-ever mass shooting. They posted on X/Twitter that the gunman had been “eliminated”.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 07:00

1703313000

Mourners lay tributes at Prague university

Mourners placed candles and flowers near Charles University in Prague, a day after a horrific mass shooting.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting on Thursday.

David Kozak, 24, has been named as the gunman.

More here.

Mourners lay tributes at Prague university after at least 14 killed in mass shooting

Mourners placed candles and flowers near Charles University in Prague on Friday, 22 December), a day after a horrific mass shooting. At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting on Thursday. David Kozak, 24, has been named as the gunman. Authorities have confirmed that the shooter was a history student at the university and that he acted alone. The gunman started the shooting on the fourth floor of the building with legally-owned weapons.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 06:30

1703311250

Police seek motive behind Prague mass shooting

Czech police on Friday investigated the motive behind a student’s dayslong violent rampage culminating in a shooting at the university he attended in Prague that left 14 dead and dozens wounded.

The gunman behind the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting has been identified as 24-year-old David Kozak.

Investigators believe Kozak also killed his father earlier in the day, and another man and a baby last week.

Petr Matejcek, the director of the police regional headquarters in Prague, said the gunman killed himself on the balcony of the university building as officers closed in.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 06:00

1703309450

Reporter distracts gunman to help people escape

“Hey, you f*****, here I am, shoot here!” screamed a Czech reporter trying to distract a gunman who killed 14 people at a university building in Prague on Thursday.

Jiri Forman, a reporter for a small security-focused news outfit who said he had experience in war zones, evaded fire from the gunman who was perched on a balcony on the top floor of Charles University’s Faculty of Art.

While ducking behind a corner in a square below, he kept feeding information to police outside and urged them to fire back, while filming continuously on his phone.

Asked by an officer what was he doing, Forman is heard in the footage shouting: “So that he doesn’t shoot at the people! What do you think I am doing, man? There are people there!”His actions have won him plaudits in Czech media, but Forman played down suggestions he was a hero.

“Where I stood it was absolutely safe, nobody was there and I knew I could duck behind an obstacle,” he told Reuters on Friday.

“And if he shoots in my direction, he won’t have the people fleeing, they will have a chance to reach cover. I screamed at him and he started shooting in my direction.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 05:30

1703307600

National day of mourning

The Czech government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning to honour the shooting victims, prime minister Petr Fiala said.

It comes after the deadliest shooting in the nation’s history took place in a university building in central Prague on Thursday.

Students, politicians and civilians alike gathered outside the university on Friday in mourning.

Among those paying their respects to the dead at the university was the Czech president Petr Pavel. He said: “No one can imagine the fear and mental strain they went through yesterday. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone for the sincere condolences and words of support, which come from all around the world.”

Athena Stavrou23 December 2023 05:00

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2023-12-23 10:15:25Z
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Prague shooting: Victims identified as Czechs mourn 14 dead in university attack - The Independent

Moment armed police storm Prague university after shooting captured in bodycam footage

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

The gunman behind the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting has been identified as 24-year-old David Kozak.

The history student opened fire on the fourth floor of the Charles University in Prague on Thursday afternoon, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 with legally owned weapons.

He is believed to have killed his father before carrying out the massacre at his university.

Kozak is also suspected of killing a man and his four-month-old daughter in Prague a week ago, the city’s police chief Martin Vondrasek said.

Authorities on Friday announced that all victims in Thursday’s shooting in Prague have been identified and none of them were foreign citizens.

Political leaders, students, friends of the victims and others came together to light candles during an impromptu vigil for the victims as the city grappled with the mass shooting.

“A few of my friends study at the philosophy faculty at Charles University,” said Kristof Unger, a student who attended the vigil. “They have been really traumatised by the shooting there and I just wanted to make them feel a little bit better.”

1703326525

Czech Republic holds a national day of mourning for the victims of its worst mass killing

National flags on public buildings were at half-staff and people across the Czech Republic are set to observe a minute of silence as the country holds a day of national mourning on Saturday to honor the victims of the worst mass killing in Czech history.

Bells will toll at churches at noon and a Mass at St. Vitus cathedral in Prague, the biggest in the country, will be celebrated for the victims. President Petr Pavel is scheduled to attend the service that is open to everyone.

Similar religious services will be held in other cities and towns, while Christmas markets in a number of places were closed or reduced their programs amid boosted security measures.

Authorities said that 13 people died at the scene in the Faculty of Arts of Charles University and one died later in a hospital. A total of 25 people were wounded, including three foreign nationals.

Milos Vystrcil, speaker of Parliament's upper house, the Senate, was among many who have been coming together to light candles at an impromptu memorial for the victims created in front of the university headquarters.

"It's been a horrible experience for us all but it still can't be compared with what the victims had to experience at the time of the attack and what their dear ones have to experience now," Vystrcil said. "I think that to help them at this point we express our support and that's what we're all doing now."

People pay respects outside the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University following a mass shooting, during the day of national mourning in central Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 10:15

1703323870

Police seek motive for shooting

Police have released no details about a possible motive for the shooting.

The interior minister said Thursday that investigators did not suspect a link to any extremist ideology or groups.

Officials said they believed the gunman acted alone.

He has no criminal record.

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 09:31

1703321147

Czechs mourn victims of university shooting as police patrol public areas

Czechs mourned the victims of the country's worst mass shooting as police tightened security around schools and other public buildings across the country on Friday after a student gunman killed 14 people at a Prague university building on Thursday.

At the Charles University headquarters, crowds that included Prime Minister Petr Fiala and U.S. Ambassador Bijan Sabet paid tribute to the victims. Some knelt to light candles and lay flowers while others stood crying and hugging each other.

"We are here to show our support as fellow students," said Czech student Daniel Broz.

"I was on the other side of the river and hearing gunshots, pops and not knowing what is going on and then a flurry of police cars passing by was absolutely surreal especially as a Czech who has never witnessed an event similar to this before."

Charles University cancelled all lectures and events on Friday a day after the shooting in the central European country of 10.9 million where over 300,000 people own guns but mass shootings are rare.

The Health Ministry said 27 people were admitted or treated at six Prague hospitals, many with gunshot wounds. Out of those, 12 remained in serious condition and at least one in critical condition.

One of the victims had died in hospital.

A police officer walks across a bridge over the Vltava river in downtown Prague, Czech Republic on Thursday

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Tara Cobham23 December 2023 08:45

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Everything we know about gunman David Kozák

The identity of the gunman who opened fire at a Prague university on Thursday killing 14 people has been revealed.

Student David Kozák opened fire on the fourth floor of Charles University in Jan Palach Square shortly after 3pm, with chilling images appearing of the shooter dressed in black, taking aim from a balcony with a large gun.

Police raced to the scene and evacuated students and tourists near the building in the city centre, with Kozak’s body found a short while later with “devastating injuries”.

Authorities have confirmed that the 24-year-old was a history student at the university and that he acted alone.

Athena Stavrou and Holly Evans report.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 08:00

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Watch: People cling to Prague university building ledge during shooting

People hid on the ledge of a Prague university building during a mass shooting in which at least 14 people were killed on Thursday, 21 December.

A group wae filmed huddling together below a window on the outside of the Jan Palach Library at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts.

More here.

People cling to Prague university building ledge during mass shooting

People hid on the ledge of a Prague university building during a mass shooting in which at least 14 people were killed on Thursday, 21 December. A group were filmed huddling together below a window on the outside of the Jan Palach Library at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts. Police said a 24-year-old Czech student shot dead his father, then killed 14 people and wounded 25 others at the university in the country’s worst-ever mass shooting. They posted on X/Twitter that the gunman had been “eliminated”.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 07:00

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Mourners lay tributes at Prague university

Mourners placed candles and flowers near Charles University in Prague, a day after a horrific mass shooting.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting on Thursday.

David Kozak, 24, has been named as the gunman.

More here.

Mourners lay tributes at Prague university after at least 14 killed in mass shooting

Mourners placed candles and flowers near Charles University in Prague on Friday, 22 December), a day after a horrific mass shooting. At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the Czech Republic’s worst-ever mass shooting on Thursday. David Kozak, 24, has been named as the gunman. Authorities have confirmed that the shooter was a history student at the university and that he acted alone. The gunman started the shooting on the fourth floor of the building with legally-owned weapons.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 06:30

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Police seek motive behind Prague mass shooting

Czech police on Friday investigated the motive behind a student’s dayslong violent rampage culminating in a shooting at the university he attended in Prague that left 14 dead and dozens wounded.

The gunman behind the nation’s worst-ever mass shooting has been identified as 24-year-old David Kozak.

Investigators believe Kozak also killed his father earlier in the day, and another man and a baby last week.

Petr Matejcek, the director of the police regional headquarters in Prague, said the gunman killed himself on the balcony of the university building as officers closed in.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 06:00

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Reporter distracts gunman to help people escape

“Hey, you f*****, here I am, shoot here!” screamed a Czech reporter trying to distract a gunman who killed 14 people at a university building in Prague on Thursday.

Jiri Forman, a reporter for a small security-focused news outfit who said he had experience in war zones, evaded fire from the gunman who was perched on a balcony on the top floor of Charles University’s Faculty of Art.

While ducking behind a corner in a square below, he kept feeding information to police outside and urged them to fire back, while filming continuously on his phone.

Asked by an officer what was he doing, Forman is heard in the footage shouting: “So that he doesn’t shoot at the people! What do you think I am doing, man? There are people there!”His actions have won him plaudits in Czech media, but Forman played down suggestions he was a hero.

“Where I stood it was absolutely safe, nobody was there and I knew I could duck behind an obstacle,” he told Reuters on Friday.

“And if he shoots in my direction, he won’t have the people fleeing, they will have a chance to reach cover. I screamed at him and he started shooting in my direction.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 05:30

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National day of mourning

The Czech government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning to honour the shooting victims, prime minister Petr Fiala said.

It comes after the deadliest shooting in the nation’s history took place in a university building in central Prague on Thursday.

Students, politicians and civilians alike gathered outside the university on Friday in mourning.

Among those paying their respects to the dead at the university was the Czech president Petr Pavel. He said: “No one can imagine the fear and mental strain they went through yesterday. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone for the sincere condolences and words of support, which come from all around the world.”

Athena Stavrou23 December 2023 05:00

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Do we know what led to the attack?

The gunman’s motives for the attack or not yet known, but police were reportedly already searching for David Kozak at the time of the incident.

Authorities are probing the potential connection between a series of violent, expletive-laden Russian-language messages posted on Telegram, including a message posted by the shooter saying: “I always wanted to kill. I thought I would be a maniac in the future.”

One of the messages posted by the user indicated that inspiration for the attack may have been drawn from two previous mass shootings in Russia—one occurring this month at a school in Bryansk near the Ukraine border, and the second in 2021 in Kazan, the capital of the Russian region of Tatarstan.

“I was very inspired by Alina … very much,” a message shared on 10 December said, just three days after a 14-year-old Russian girl, Alina Afanaskina, opened fire on her classmates.

It is not thought that Kozak was linked to any extremist ideology or groups.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 December 2023 04:30

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2023-12-23 09:31:10Z
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Israel-Gaza war live: UN chief says Israeli offensive creating ‘obstacles’ to aid distribution as strikes reported across Gaza - The Guardian

The UN security council has called for boosting humanitarian assistance for Gaza, but the UN chief said the way Israel was conducting its military operation was creating “massive obstacles” to aid distribution inside the battered territory.

After days of wrangling to avert a threatened US veto, the security council passed a resolution on Friday urging steps to allow “safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access” to Gaza and “conditions for a sustainable cessation” of fighting.

But Reuters reports UN secretary general António Guterres said after the vote that the way Israel was conducting its operation is “creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian assistance” in Gaza, where the UN says the aid available is just 10% of what is needed.

Israel says 5,405 aid trucks – bearing food, water and medical supplies - have entered Gaza since the war started.

A drone strike damaged a “Israel-affiliated” merchant ship off the coast on India on Saturday, but caused no casualties, according to maritime agencies.

The attack caused a fire on board, according to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

Ambrey, a maritime security firm, said the “Liberia-flagged chemical/products tanker... was Israel-affiliated” and had been on its way from Saudi Arabia to India.

Both agencies said the attack occurred 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, India.

UKMTO said the “authorities were investigating”, and noted the fire had been extinguished. Ambrey said the Indian navy was responding.

There was no immediate claim of responsiblity for the strike which came amid a flurry of drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on a vital shipping lane in the Red Sea.

Iran has also been accused of carrying out attacks near its waters.

Last month, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was hit in a suspected drone attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean, according to a US official.

An Israeli airstrike has killed 76 members of an extended family in Gaza, Associated Press reported rescue officials as saying on Saturday.

Friday’s strike on a building in Gaza City was among the deadliest of the Israel-Gaza war, Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence department said.

Bassal provided a partial list of the names of those killed, according to AP – 16 heads of households from the al-Mughrabi family – and said the dead included women and children.

Among the dead was Issam al-Mughrabi, a veteran employee of the UN Development Programme, his wife and their five children.

“The loss of Issam and his family has deeply affected us all. The UN and civilians in Gaza are not a target,” said Achim Steiner, the head of the agency. “This war must end.”

Thomas White, director of UNRWA affairs, has criticised a decision by Israeli authorities to issue evacuation orders for people in central Gaza to move to Deir al Balah.

He said on X that 150,000 people would be impacted, while the area was “already overwhelmed with displaced including UNRWA shelters.”

He added that people in Gaza were “not pieces on a checkerboard”.

The spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it attacked a number of Hezbollah “terrorist targets” overnight and on Saturday morning “including operational infrastructures, terrorist infrastructures and a military compound”.

Daniel Hagari added that the attacks took place in “Lebanese territory”.

You can read more about fears over the involvement of Hezbollah in the conflict here:

Israeli strikes on Gaza continued on Saturday, with Hamas authorities reporting heaving shelling in several cities, reports the AFP news agency.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry said 18 people were killed in a house in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

António Guterres said on X this morning that 136 United Nations colleagues in Gaza had died in 75 days, something the global organisation had “never seen” in its history.

The UN chief added: “Most of our staff have been forced from their homes.

“I pay tribute to them and the thousands of aid workers risking their lives as they support civilians in Gaza.”

The US president, Joe Biden, has said he is “heartbroken” by the news that an American named Gadi Haggai is believed to have been killed by Hamas on 7 October when it attacked Israel.

Haggai, a 73-year-old Israeli-American man, was previously thought to have been taken hostage in the militants’ attack, along with his wife. A group representing hostages’ families had said earlier on Friday that Haggai died in captivity.

Biden said in a statement released by the White House on Friday:

Jill [Biden, the first lady] and I are heartbroken by the news that American Gadi Haggai is now believed to have been killed by Hamas on October 7. We continue to pray for the wellbeing and safe return of his wife, Judy.

Reuters also reports that Judith Weinstein, the wife of Haggai, is still being held hostage in Gaza, according to the Israeli media outlet Haaretz.

The Biden statement gave no further details about what happened to Haggai.

• Post two of two

An Israeli airstrike on a house in Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed three people including a journalist of Hamas’s Aqsa TV channel and two relatives, Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said.

The reporter’s death would bring to at least 69 the number of journalists killed in the conflict, according to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Reuters also reports that in Gaza’s south, at least four civilians died in an airstrike on a car in Rafah, a Palestinian rescue worker said. A boy, his face covered in blood, and a girl, were carried away, video showed.

There was no immediate Israeli comment. Its military has expressed regret for civilian deaths but blamed the militant Hamas for operating in densely populated areas or using civilians as human shields, an allegation the group denies.

The Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency reported heavy shelling and airstrikes on Jibaliya al-Balad and Jibaliya refugee camp, in northern Gaza, and said Israeli vehicles were trying to advance from the western side of Jibaliya amid the sound of gunfire.

Wafa reported that Israeli shelling destroyed a water desalination plant in Jibaliya by the al-Amal hospital.

Airstrikes, artillery bombardments and fighting were reported across Gaza late into Friday night.

Israel’s military ordered residents of al-Bureij, in central Gaza, to move south immediately, Reuters reports. The directive signalled a new focus of the ground assault that has devastated the territory’s north and made a series of incursions in the south.

Some residents packed up donkey carts and left. But there was no immediate sign of large numbers from al-Bureij joining the hundreds of thousands fleeing other areas.

Ziad, a medic and father of six, said:

Where should we go to? There is no place safe. They ask people to head to [the central Gaza city of] Deir al-Balah, where they bomb day and night.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said at least 18 Palestinians were killed and dozens others wounded in an airstrike on a house in Nuseirat, central Gaza, late on Friday night.

• Post one of two

The UN security council has called for boosting humanitarian assistance for Gaza, but the UN chief said the way Israel was conducting its military operation was creating “massive obstacles” to aid distribution inside the battered territory.

After days of wrangling to avert a threatened US veto, the security council passed a resolution on Friday urging steps to allow “safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access” to Gaza and “conditions for a sustainable cessation” of fighting.

But Reuters reports UN secretary general António Guterres said after the vote that the way Israel was conducting its operation is “creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian assistance” in Gaza, where the UN says the aid available is just 10% of what is needed.

Israel says 5,405 aid trucks – bearing food, water and medical supplies - have entered Gaza since the war started.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. It’s nearing 9am and Gaza City and Tel Aviv on this 23 December and here’s an overview of the latest to bring you up to speed.

The United Nations security council has backed a resolution calling for a major boost in humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip but the UN secretary general has said the way Israel is conducting its military operation there is creating “massive obstacles” to aid distribution.

António Guterres’s comments after the UN vote came as airstrikes, artillery bombardments and fighting were reported across Gaza late into Friday night, with at least 18 people killed, according to Palestinian media.

Israel’s military ordered residents of al-Bureij in central Gaza to move south immediately, in a directive signalling a new focus of the ground assault that has devastated the territory’s north and made incursions in the south.

More on those stories soon as well as below, along with a recap of other key developments.

• The UN security council, after days of delay, passed its new resolution on Gaza aid delivery with 13 votes in favour, no votes against and abstentions by the US and Russia. Although abstaining, it was pivotal for Gaza that the US did not veto and therefore block the resolution. A vote had originally been expected on Monday but was delayed day after day as negotiations went on to try to get the pieces in place for the resolution to pass when it did finally come to the vote.

• António Guterres said after the vote that he hoped aid delivery would improve “but a humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to begin to meet the desperate needs of people in Gaza and end their ongoing nightmare”. The UN chief added: “As difficult as it might appear today, the two-state solution – in line with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements – is the only path to sustainable peace.”

• The Palestinian Authority and Hamas issued different responses towards the UN vote. The Palestinian foreign ministry, which is part of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, called the resolution “a step in the right direction” and said it would help “end the aggression, ensure the arrival of aid and protect the Palestinian people”. But Hamas, the militants who run Gaza, called the resolution an “insufficient step” for meeting the impoverished territory’s needs.

• The International Rescue Committee, the global humanitarian organisation, lamented the lack of a UN security council (UNSC) resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, even as it welcomed the resolution on aid. It also welcomed the call for the unconditional release of remaining hostages held by Hamas after they were snatched from southern Israel during the 7 October attack that triggered the war. “From a humanitarian point of view, the failure of the UNSC to demand an immediate and sustained ceasefire is unjustifiable,” the committee said.

• The European Commission said it had adopted a €118m ($130m) aid package to support the Palestinian Authority. The EC said on Friday the aid would help pay salaries and pensions of civil servants in the West Bank, social allowances for vulnerable families and the payment for medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals.

• Gaza health officials say more than 20,000 people have been killed in the war. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Friday that it had documented 20,057 deaths in the fighting. It does not differentiate between combatant and civilian deaths. It has previously said that roughly two-thirds of the dead were women or minors.

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2023-12-23 09:53:00Z
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