Czech Republic: Citizens mourn victims of Prague university mass shooting

The Czech Republic is holding a day of national mourning for the people killed in mass shooting at a Prague university on Thursday.

Reports from Prague say those killed in the attack included Lenka Hlavkova, head of the Institute of Musicology at the university.

A translator and Finnish literature expert Jan Dlask and student Lucie Spindlerova were also the victims.

The shooting began at around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the Faculty of Arts building off Jan Palach Square in the centre of the Czech capital.

Flags will be flown at half-mast on official buildings, and a minute’s silence will be held at midday to honour the victims who were gruesomely murdered.

It was reported that a student shot and killed 14 persons at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts building in the capital before killing himself.

The motivation for the attack is being investigated by police.

The gunman is believed to have murdered his father at a separate location. He is also accused of slaying a young father and his two-month-old daughter, who were discovered dead in a forest on Prague’s outskirts on December 15.

It is one of the bloodiest lone shooter attacks in Europe in several years.

In a statement, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the country had been shocked by this “horrendous act”.

“It is hard to find the words to express condemnation on the one hand and, on the other, the pain and sorrow that our entire society is feeling in these days before Christmas.”