Police in Prague, Czech Republic, say at least 10 people have been killed and dozens injured in a mass shooting at Charles University.
Historically known as the University of Prague, Charles University is one of Europe's oldest and largest institutions of higher education.
Earlier, students were seen hiding on rooftop ledges.
According to preliminary reports, the shooter was a history student who shot his father first.
At one point, a bystander took a photograph of the shooter using a bipod to fire from a rooftop guardrail.
The attacker used a long gun with an optic. He later died after falling from the roof.
His identity was not immediately released by authorities.
The New York Times further reports:
The police said the shooter had been “eliminated,” suggesting he had died, but did not specify how. They also said that the Faculty of Arts building, located in Prague's Old Town, had been evacuated. The square next to it has been sealed off. Videos posted on social media showed people running away.
Shootings are rare in the Central European country and alarm over Thursday's incident prompted the prime minister, Petr Fiala, to cut short a trip to the city of Olomouc in the east of the Czech Republic and rush back to Prague.
In a message to residents posted on the social media platform X late Thursday the police urged people to leave the area and “not to leave home. The police intervention is still ongoing.”
The square where the shooting occurred is named after Jan Palach, a 20-year-old student who set himself on fire in 1969 to protest the invasion of what was then Czechoslovakia by troops from the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact. He died three days later, becoming a revered martyr to the anti-communist cause.
Charles University was founded in 1348, making it the Czech Republic's oldest.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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