Man who set himself on fire in serious condition

The 54-year-old man who set himself on fire on Wenceslas Square on Friday remains in serious condition at the Vinohrady burns clinic in Prague. He suffered burns to 30 percent of his body and is in an induced coma after undergoing emergency surgery.

A police spokeswoman ruled out a political motive, saying the matter was still being investigated.

According to the news site Aktualne.cz the man told his brother he wanted to die like the student martyr Jan Palach, whose death by self-immolation Czechs are commemorating this week.