Police charge youth with attempted murder of grandfather and neighbour

Police have charged a 19-year-old youth with the attempted double murder of two senior citizens, one of whom was the assailant's grandfather, in Postřelmov in eastern Czechia. Both men were attacked with a military knife on Wednesday and suffered serious injuries. The older of the two men, the perpetrator's 72-year-old grandfather, is in a critical condition and is being kept in a medically-induced coma in the intensive care unit at Olomouc University Hospital. The younger of the two victims was the elder's 65-year-old neighbour, who visited him regularly, the Czech News Agency reports.

According to criminal investigators, the act was premeditated, as the young man bought the military knife used in the crime for this purpose and wrote detailed notes about the attack in advance. Police are still searching for a motive, but according to police statements, mental illness may have had a role to play. The man has no prior convictions and was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.