Prague on alert as police respond to shooting threat, deploy bomb squads

Thursday saw heightened tension and transit delays throughout Prague as police responded to multiple incidents within hours of each other. The day began with a false report of a man allegedly carrying a gun in central Prague, prompting a major police response. This was followed by reports of suspicious objects on two different city streets.

Just before noon, police received a fabricated report about a man with a gun heading from Letná Park into the city center. "Dozens of police officers were deployed immediately, and we also communicated with the management of Charles University’s Faculties of Law and Arts," Police President Pavel Černý said in a statement on the X network.

An alert advised students at both faculties, whose buildings are located near the park, to remain calm while police conducted precautionary measures in the vicinity. "This is not an immediate threat, please remain calm," read the notification sent to students’ mobile phones.

Police concluded their intervention shortly thereafter, stating that the report was unfounded and likely fabricated. “The announcement was not confirmed and it appears that the caller made the whole thing up,” Černý said. “The criminal police are now dealing with him on suspicion of spreading a false alarm.”

This incident takes place near the one-year anniversary of the tragic shooting on Dec. 21 at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, which resulted in 14 deaths and 25 injuries. The case was shelved after the shooter’s death, but the memory of the tragedy has heightened public sensitivity to any similar threats.

On Thursday evening, police were called to handle two suspicious objects found on Prague’s streets. One was located on Sázavská Street, and the other on Čimická Street. Bus and tram traffic was diverted in both locations due to pyrotechnic inspections.

“We are investigating reports of two suspicious finds,” police said in a statement on the X network. “Standard security measures are in place at both locations and a pyrotechnic inspection will be conducted.” Traffic restrictions were put in place around the locations, causing disruptions to public transportation.

By late afternoon, the situation at Sázavská in Vionhrady was resolved without finding a dangerous object. However, the intervention on Čimická Street, near Bohnice, lasted longer due to an ongoing investigation into a traffic accident earlier in the day.

“A pyrotechnic inspection was carried out on the luggage found at the intersection of Čimická and K Pazderkám streets, and in this case, it was not a dangerous object,” police confirmed. “The measures were completed on site and traffic has been fully restored.”

Earlier this month, police evacuated the West Bohemian University in Pilsen following an unconfirmed report of a potential shooting. In connection with the incident, police charged two students with rioting. One student allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" (Arabic for "God is great"), while the other imitated shooting.