Three hours before the mass shooting at Charles University in Prague, authorities already knew that the suspect was heading to the city with a firearm, but for reasons not fully disclosed they did not manage to stop him in time. This detail comes from the Czech newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes, cited by TASS.
Law enforcement had information suggesting the perpetrator studied at the Faculty of Philosophy and might visit the campus. Officers reached the main faculty building, but they left after receiving new intelligence. The gunman arrived at the campus a short while later, identified as a 24-year-old student named David Kozak, according to the publication.
Efforts to locate him using his mobile phone proved unsuccessful. One police patrol was dispatched to the suspect’s home in the village of Khostun, where the body of the attacker’s father was found in the basement with gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening.
A clockwork improvised explosive device was discovered there and subsequently defused by the authorities.
There were reports that the individual was at the University of Prague on December 21, with the city itself later shaken by a separate shooting. Authorities noted the possibility that the attacker drew inspiration from a Bryansk schoolgirl incident.
In response to the tragedy in the Czech Republic, December 23 was declared a day of general mourning.
An eyewitness had previously offered details about the shootings in Prague, contributing to the emerging timeline of events surrounding the incident. The investigation continued as authorities sought to piece together the sequence of actions leading up to the tragedy.