Robert Fico was wounded when an assailant fired multiple shots outside a government meeting
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and wounded on Wednesday when multiple shots were fired at him as he greeted the public after a government meeting.
Fico was taken to hospital by his security detail after the shooting, while his attacker was detained by police. According to Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba, Fico has survived the surgery and is expected to recover.
According to local media reports, four shots were fired at Fico as he shook hands with supporters outside a meeting in Handlova, around 150km east of Bratislava. At least one of the shots struck the prime minister, witnesses reported.
01:32 GMT
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky condemned the attack on Fico. “Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
After becoming prime minister for a third time in October 2023, Fico reversed the previous government’s decision to send weapons to Ukraine. He also argued that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia should be resolved through diplomacy.
01:01 GMT
Officials and commentators have linked the shooting with incendiary rhetoric and an overall toxic political environment in the country.
“The political climate in Slovakia… was very polarized for a number of years,” former government adviser Milan Nic told the BBC. He added that politicians in Slovakia have been receiving death threats, including outgoing President Zuzana Caputova.
00:52 GMT
Fico is conscious after surgery, the Dennik N daily reported late Wednesday night.
He was operated on in the Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica.
