Slovakian PM preventing for all times after being shot by ‘murderer, 71’
The Prime Minister of Slovakia has been shot in the stomach and arm by a ’71-year-old assassin’ who was bundled to the ground by cops as he attempted to flee.
Robert Fico, 59, was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting.
Shots were fired in front of the House of Culture, before a man, who is alleged to be 71-years-old, was quickly pounced upon and detained by security officials.
A witness told Slovakian news site Dennik, that Fico had left the building to greet people who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him before ‘several shots were fired’.
Fico then reportedly fell to the ground, where she claimed to have seen wounds on his head and chest.
Robert Fico (pictured centre) being carried away by security officials into a car after he was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting
The Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico has been ‘shot and wounded’
The alleged assailant was detained by cops at the scene
The attacker was pushed to the ground and handcuffed
Robert Fico is in ‘life threatening condition’ according to a message posted to his Facebook following the attack
According to The Herald, an eye witness who had been waiting to greet the PM said: ‘I was just going to shake his hand, when the shots rang out it almost deafened me’.
It was also reported that someone from within the crowd yelled ‘Robo, come here’ before the shooting began.
The alleged assailant was nabbed by cops on site, who then cordoned off the area and the House of Culture was evacuated.
The injured prime minister was then airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital after suffering shots to the chest and abdomen, reports Pluska.
In a message posted later on Fico’s Facebook page, his staff said he was shot a number of times and was ‘currently in a life-threatening condition’.
They said he was being transported to Banksa Bystrica as he needed urgent surgery.
The next few hours would be critical, the post said.
According to a local report from Digi24, a Romanian news TV channel, Fico was hit by at least two bullets, before the Slovak Ministry of the Interior confirmed it was an assassination attempt.
Following the shock attack, Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia’s president-elect and an ally of Robert Fico, has said that ‘an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister is a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far.’
‘I am horrified by where the hatred towards another political opinion can lead.
‘We don’t have to agree on everything, but there are plenty of ways to express our disagreement democratically and legally,’ he added.
The head of the liberal political party Progressive Slovakia, Michala Šimeček, said:’ We unequivocally and strongly condemn any violence. We trust that Prime Minister Fico will be fine and that this terrible act will be brought to light as soon as possible.’
Fico has been serving as the PM of Slovakia since September 2023, having returned to power after serving previously from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.
During his run in 2016, the leader commented on Brexit saying it was unclear what the United Kingdom wanted, adding that it ‘must suffer’ more than the 27 countries who will remain in the bloc.
Robert Fico pictured speaking with people before the cabinet’s away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia
It is not currently known what the shooter’s motives were behind the attack
Czech PM, Petr Fiala said: ‘We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society’
Following Wednesday’s shooting, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova condemned ‘a brutal and ruthless’ attack on the premier.
‘I’m shocked,’ Ms Caputova said.
‘I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.’
Deputy speaker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR news agency said.
Czech PM, Petr Fiala, has responded to the attack on X, formerly Twitter, posting: ‘The news about the shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is shocking.
‘I wish the prime minister to get well as soon as possible. We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society.’
There is allegedly no information about the shooter’s motives at this time.
Fico’s renewed leadership as prime minister got off to a rocky start after he halted military aid to Ukraine in January, and just last month he pushed through plans to crap public broadcaster RTVS.
Parliament was sitting at the time of the attack and local Slovak media reported that a party colleague of Fico’s shouted at opposition MPs, accusing them of inciting the attack.
This is a breaking new story. More to follow
