14 People Killed In Mass Shooting At Charles University, Czech President Announces National Mourning Day

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster)

JAKARTA - At least 14 people were killed and 25 others injured in the shooting at the Czech University of Prague, with the perpetrator known to have previously shot dead his father and allegedly committed suicide later, local police said, becoming the country's worst mass shooting ever.

President Petr Pavel in a special cabinet meeting decided that the government would announce day of mourning throughout the country on December 23 in memory of the victims.

"I will express my great sadness and powerless anger over the loss of so many unnecessary lives of young people," President Pavel said.

"I would like to express my sincere condolences to the entire family of the victims, to everyone who is in this tragic incident, the most tragic in the history of the Czech Republic," he continued.

Czech police on Thursday said they responded to the shooting at Jan Palach Square near the Prague Old Town Square.

The shooting took place at around 15.00 a.m. at the University of Charles Arts Faculty, which is located near the famous tourist spot, 14th-century Charles Bridge, quoted from Al Jazeera.

"We always thought that this was something that was none of our business. Unfortunately, now it turns out that our world is also changing and the problem of individual shooters is also showing up here," Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda told Czech Television.

Meanwhile, Prague Police Chief Martin Vondrasek said the perpetrator of the attack was a student, but gave no further details. The name of the shooter has not been announced.

Vondrasek said that as a result of the shooting, 14 people were killed and 25 injured. Meanwhile, the perpetrator was found dead shortly after the incident

Vondrasek further explained that his party also believed the perpetrator killed his father on Thursday morning in his hometown of Hastoun. Based on a home search, continued Vondrasek, the shooter was also suspected of being involved in the murder of a man and his two-month-old daughter in eastern Prague last week.

Authorities have warned that the death toll from Thursday's shooting could increase further.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Vit Rakasus told Czech public TV, "no other gunmen were confirmed" and asked the public to follow police instructions.

The motivation of the shooter has yet to be verified, but Vondrasek told reporters authorities had "new information that could not be confirmed from an account on the social network, he is suspected of being inspired by a terrorist attack in Russia this fall," he said, adding the perpetrators had valid permits holding a number of firearms.