A gunman took several hostages at the Let Aircraft Industries factory in the southeastern Czech Republic on Thursday afternoon, killing two members of the Board of Directors, officials said. He then turned the gun on himself.
Entrance to the Let Aircraft Industries factory in Kunovice, Czech Republic. (Photo by Let Aircraft Industries)
The incident began just before noon local time when the gunman opened fire at the plant in Kunovice, about 175 miles (280 km) southeast of Prague. Authorities believe the man had been hiding in one of the plant’s buildings before the incident.
The dead were both members of the company’s Board of Directors, Pavel Vach and Petr Veselý. In addition to the fatalities, one woman, who was identified as Aircraft Industries director Ilona Plšková, suffered minor injuries. She did not require hospitalization, reports said.
Police spokesman Ales Mergental said the gunman took several hostages at the building but the situation came to a dramatic end within an hour when he shot and killed two people before committing suicide. A negotiator and Special Task Force had just arrived at the scene but were unable to prevent the tragedy.
Police believe the gunman was the brother of Pavel Musela, an arms dealer and a former member of the company’s board of directors. It was not immediately clear what may have been the motive.
The aircraft factory employs around 800 people and is most known for manufacturing the twin-engine L-410 Turbolet. Russian holding UGMK owns 51 percent of the Aircraft Industries’ shares, and the remaining 49 percent are owned by the Czech company PAMCO INT.
With reporting by NYCAviation
