Key Developments:
- Slovak PM Fico in hospital after being shot and injured
- Fico ‘stabilized’ after treatment for shot wounds
- One suspect detained from the place of occurrence
- World leaders condemn the ‘brutal’ assassination attempt
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has reportedly been injured in a shooting following a government meeting and been taken to hospital.
Local broadcaster TA3 reported that Fico, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometers northeast of the capital, where the leader was meeting with supporters. A suspect has been detained, it said. Police sealed off the scene.
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A spokeswoman for Handlova Hospital says Robert Fico’s “life functions” have been stabilized after he was treated for shot wounds, reports Sky news.
In footage of the aftermath of the shooting, Fico was seen being picked up from a flower-bed by four bodyguards, his back to the metal railing separating him from the public. As armed security and police entered the crowd, the premier was carried, bent double, to a car by two of his guards, while the others flank them.
A spokesperson for the Slovak interior ministry has confirmed that an “assassination attempt” was carried out on Robert Fico.
The Slovakian parliament’s deputy speaker Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of parliament which was adjourned until further notice.
Condemns Pour in over the Attack
World leaders and officials have begun to react to the news that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has just been shot and injured.The collective response has been one of shock.
Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova condemned “a brutal and ruthless” attack on the 59-year-old premier.”I’m shocked,” Caputova said. “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.”
The opposition Progressive Slovakia’s leader Michal Šimečka, said, “I am shocked and appalled by the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico in Handlova.”
“We unequivocally and strongly condemn any violence,” he added.
The prime minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala has said the news of the shooting is “shocking”; he wishes Fico a “quick recovery”.
Meanwhile, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also said he is “profoundly shocked” by the news. Posting on X, Ciolacu said that those responsible for the shooting “must be held accountable”.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she “strongly condemns the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico”. She said: “Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. “My thoughts are with PM Fico and his family.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also reacted to the “shocking” news on social media:
Who is PM Robert Fico?
Robert Fico, who emerged victorious in the September 2023 elections, has been serving as the Prime Minister of Slovakia. His pro-Russian stance has raised concerns across Europe, as he previously stated to the Telegraph that “arming Ukraine brings nothing but killing.” Fico pledged to halt the flow of Western arms deliveries to the besieged country through Slovakia’s borders.
The populist left-wing leader capitalized on the public’s cost-of-living concerns, which paved the way for his return to office five years after he was forced to resign amid outrage over the murder of a journalist. Fico’s comeback in the elections was marked by his promise to end Slovakia’s involvement in supplying arms to Ukraine.
