The confusion caught fire in Czech Republic, with at least one newspaper suggesting intensified geography lessons for American students.

The Czech ambassador to the United States decided that the accussations had become so intense it was time to issue a statement.

Ambassador Petr Gandalovic said:

As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities – the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.