News: Thursday, June 20th, 2024

Prosecutor to MPs: University shooter had feelings of injustice and hatred

The perpetrator of a mass shooting at a university in Prague in December had feelings of injustice, resentment and hatred and felt ostracised, unaccepted and useless, a state prosecutor, Jana Murínová, told the Czech lower house’s Security Committee on Thursday. In an address to MPs, she reiterated that according to expert assessments the student did not suffer from any serious psychological disorder.

Also speaking to the Security Committee on Thursday, the head of the Czech police, Martin Vondrášek, said two weak points in the force’s handling of the incident had been communication with the university administration and the police’s own analytical skills. He said there were several areas in which the police needed to improve.

Fourteen people were left dead and dozens injured after the young man carried out a mass shooting at the main building of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague on December 21. He took his own life during the biggest mass shooting in modern Czech history. He had earlier killed a father and his baby in woodlands in an evident random shooting.

Czech child killed in car explosion in Croatia

A nine-year-old Czech child was killed when a car exploded in the Croatian town of Obrovac, which is near the coastal city of Zadar, on Wednesday evening, local media reported.

Croatian police said they were acting on the suspicion that the explosion was caused by a device planted in the vehicle.

Two women and one man were also injured in the blast and were taken to hospital in Zadar, where the man was subsequently released.

President Pavel says he would not honour anti-Communist Mašín brothers

The Czech president, Petr Pavel, says he would not honour the Mašín brothers group, who shot their way to freedom across the Iron Curtain in the 1950s.

After the Senate proposed them for state honours on Wednesday, Mr. Pavel said in a debate with the public that aspects of Mašíns’ story would prevent him from respecting this wish.

Critics say the anti-Communist resistance group committed an immoral act when they killed an unarmed police officer.

Heavy storms kill one person and cause extensive damage in Moravia and Silesia

Heavy storms hit Moravia and Silesia on Wednesday evening, killing one person and bringing down trees and power lines in the eastern parts of the country. The victim was a woman from Český Těšín who was out camping and was killed by a falling tree. Firefighters and emergency crews worked through the night dealing with flash floods and clearing roads and rail lines from fallen trees. Rail traffic on the main line from Prague to Brno ground to a halt for several hours and thousands of homes were left without power. A clean-up operation in now underway.

Police arrest man who attacked a group of people at a petrol station in Prague

Police have arrested a fifty-two-year-old man who attacked six people with a knife at a petrol station in Prague on Wednesday afternoon. The police have ruled out a terrorist attack saying the detainee was a local and had committed the attack under the influence of alcohol. Three people were injured; one of them was transported to hospital with a stab wound to his neck. The two others were treated on the spot by paramedics. The motive is as yet unclear.

Music festival Metronome Prague gets underway in capital

The Czech capital’s biggest rock music festival, Metronome Prague, begins at the Výstaviště trade fair grounds on Thursday. The main headliner on the opening day of the three-day event is the UK singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka. Other acts performing at the event include The Last Dinner Party, Ride and Raye.

Metronome Prague has been a fixture in the city’s arts calendar since 2016.

Top Czech men’s tennis player Lehečka to miss Wimbledon, Olympics over injury

The leading Czech men’s tennis player, Jiří Lehečka, is set to miss Wimbledon and the Olympic Games after suffering a fatigue fracture of his vertebrae. Lehečka, who is 22, announced the news on social media on Thursday. He has not played since the start of last month, when he pulled out of a tournament in Madrid.

The Czech’s career highest place in the world rankings was 23rd in January this year, after he won the Adelaide International.

Weather forecast

It should be mainly overcast in Czechia on Friday, with an average high temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. Sunny skies are expected to return on Sunday.