A shooting at a university in Prague has left more than one person dead and others injured, Czech police have said.

An armed assailant travelled through the faculty of arts and philosophy at Charles University on Jan Palach square on Thursday.

The entire square was closed off as armed police responded to the incident, with police later confirming that a shooter had been neutralised.

They also said "we can confirm there are dead and injured people at the scene".

The Czech rescue service later said 10 people had been killed in the mass shooting, with police stating in a press conference the number was "at least 15".

Police have been unable to confirm the details of the shooter's death, though Idnes reports that there has been speculation that a man, armed with a long firearm, shot himself before falling from the building.

The Herald: Police officers in a van secure the area in downtown Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. Czech police say a shooting in downtown Prague has killed an unspecified number of people and wounded othersPolice officers in a van secure the area in downtown Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. Czech police say a shooting in downtown Prague has killed an unspecified number of people and wounded others (Image: AP/Petr David Josek)

The gunman was reportedly on the fourth floor, employees were emailed to stay in the offices and turn off the lights, lock and barricade the doors. 

Unconfirmed photos circulating online show a man dressed in black with what appears to be an assault rifle, on the balcony of the building.

Dean's secretary Zdeňka Filipová said: "Dear colleagues, stay put, don't go anywhere, if you're in offices, lock them and place furniture in front of the door, turn off the lights, the shooter is probably on the fourth floor of the main building on Jan Palach Square, I'm waiting for instructions from the police."

A person wrote on social media from inside the building: "I don't want to die, but what can I do? Good luck to everyone in the building, we can hear him shooting on the fourth floor."

A witness told the website: "I got off at the Staroměstská stop a few minutes after three o'clock. I met a friend there and suddenly the police were arriving. I was walking towards Veleslavínova Street and suddenly I started hearing gunfire."

A student named Klára said: "They evacuated all of us, it was absolutely terrifying. There were police everywhere, they had machine guns and were telling us to get out."

Czech media later named the suspected shooter as David Kozak, a 24-year-old student at the University.

It's reported he graduated with a bachelors in European history, then took a masters in history focused on the history of Poland.

Novinky reported that he was being linked by police to a violent death in the village of Hostouň in the Kladno distrcit earlier in the day.

A house in the area was entered by armed police, the outlet reported, and a man was found dead at the scene. It's believed the deceased was the suspected shooter's father.

Police chief David Vondrášek said there was no connection with international terrorism, and said "at least 15 people lost their lives".

He said that due to the injuries sustained by the suspect they had been unable to confirm his identity and that "from the information available to me" he had taken his own life, but police had also discharged a service weapon.

Czech police also confirmed that the suspected shooter had several legally-purchased weapons.

Possession of firearms is legal in the Czech Republic, provided citizens first obtain a licence to own and operate them.