Czech police probe Prague Islamic terror attack prank

PRAGUE — Czech police on Tuesday said they had launched an investigation into a stunt over the weekend in which anti-Islamic activists caused panic in downtown Prague by simulating a terror attack by the Islamic State jihadist group.

City police spokesman Tomas Hulan told AFP that they were investigating “an alleged disruption of public order”, adding that “legal proceedings for spreading alarming false information cannot be ruled out either.”

Dressed as jihadists, the activists burst into a crowd gathered in the tourist-friendly Old Town Square on Sunday, shouting “Allahu Akbar” and firing imitation firearms.

Many of the tourists, who had no way of knowing the scene was staged, fled in panic and hid in restaurants around the square, according to photos shared on social media.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxhFHRFqG_k

The stunt — which was organised by Martin Konvicka, the leader of a small anti-Islamic group — was widely condemned by local media and politicians.

Interior Minister Milan Chovanec called it “idiocy.”

Konvicka for his part told reporters he had hoped to “shock” people with the stunt, which police broke up after some 20 minutes.