During the shooting, some students locked themselves in classrooms, the police said in an update on X. A picture shared on social media also showed several students hiding on a ledge high up the building. The incident - at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University - happened in the center of the capital. The area is popular with tourists and close to major attractions, just across the Vltava River from Prague Castle, as per CNN.

The university was holding classes on Thursday and was due to go on Christmas break on December 23, according to a schedule on the university's website. Vondrasek said the suspected shooter was a 24-year-old male who travelled to Prague from his hometown village of Hostoun. Vondrasek said the suspected shooter was a student of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague.

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According to the police chief, the authorities had information about the shooter prior to the incident, saying the police received a tip saying the shooter was travelling to Prague with the intention to take his own life. Shortly afterward, they received information that a deceased man was found in Hostoun. The man is believed to be the suspect's father.

Vondrasek said the police were aware the shooter had a lecture at 2 pm CET and therefore evacuated the building where the lecture was meant to take place. However, the police then received a call about a shooting in a different building, according to the police chief, CNN reported. The suspected shooter had a gun permit and owned several weapons, Vondrasek said.

As per CNN, the Czech Republic has relatively liberal gun laws compared to the rest of the European Union. To obtain a gun legally, a person needs an official firearm licence, which requires a medical examination, a weapon proficiency exam and no previous criminal record.

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