Guernsey Press

Teenager detained after two killed in knife attack in shop in Czech Republic

A 16-year-old Czech national was arrested by police shortly after the incident in the city of Hradec Kralove.

Published
Last updated

An assailant attacked and killed two women with a knife at a shopping centre in the Czech Republic on Thursday, officials said, and a Czech teenager was later arrested for the crime.

It was not immediately known what the motive for the attack was in the city of Hradec Kralove, some 100km (60 miles) east of Prague.

Police said on X, formerly Twitter, that there was no indication of a “terror attack”, and that the attacker apparently chose victims at random.

Police and ambulances in a shopping area in Hradec Kralove
Police and ambulances attended the scene at the shopping centre in Hradec Kralove (Josef Costarek/CTK via AP)

Police detained a 16-year-old Czech national about one kilometre (less than a mile) from the scene, shortly after the attack. A knife was found nearby.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala offered his condolences to the relatives of the dead, posting on X: “What has happened in Hradec Kralove today is an absolutely incomprehensible and horrible act.”

Police said the situation was under control, there was no danger to the public and that security in the city had not been boosted. No other details were immediately available.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.