Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and critically injured in an assassination attempt after a meeting in Handlova.
According to the country’s media reports, the national news agency TA3 confirmed that a suspect is in custody. “There was an assassination attempt on R. Fico. He was shot multiple times and is in a life-threatening condition. The next few hours will be decisive,” read a statement on Fico’s Facebook page.
The statement added that the PM was taken to Handlova for an acute intervention instead of the capital city, Bratislava. The populist leader was hit in the abdomen by several gunshots.
Zuzana Čaputová, Slovakia’s president, condemned the “brutal” attack on the prime minister. A witness quoted by Reuters said, “Police detained a man, and security officials pushed someone into a car and drove off.”
TASR news agency quoted parliamentary vice-chairman Lubos Blaha, confirming that Fico had been shot and injured. Emergency services deployed a helicopter to Handlova after receiving information about the incident.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the attack on Fico and termed it “a vile attack.”
After coming to power in 2023, the Slovak government met in Handlova, 190 km northeast of Bratislava, as part of a regional tour. Robert Fico became PM of the NATO and EU member states for the fourth time, shifting political gears to appeal to a changing electorate.
Throughout his three-decade career, Fico has skillfully navigated between pro-European mainstream positions and nationalistic stances opposed to EU and American policies. He has consistently aimed to transform public opinion and adapt to shifting political realities.
