Slovakia’s prime minister in serious condition; suspect in assassination attempt appears at hearing
PEZINOK, Slovakia — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was in serious condition Saturday after surviving multiple gunshots in an assassination attempt, officials said, as the suspect appeared at a hearing.
Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters following a government meeting Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova, officials said. Video showed Fico approach people gathered at barricades and reach out to shake hands as a man stepped forward, extended his arm and fired five rounds before being tackled and arrested.
Government ministers outside the hospital where Fico is being treated said his condition Saturday looked promising after two hours of surgery Friday removed dead tissue from his gunshot wounds.
“Several miracles have occurred ... in the past few days, coming from the hands of the doctors, nurses and entire medical staff,” Defense Minister Rober Kalinak said outside University F. D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica, where Fico was taken by helicopter after the shooting. “I can’t find words of gratitude for the fact that we are steadily approaching that positive prognosis.”
The suspect’s hearing was held in Pezinok, a small town outside the capital, Bratislava, under tight security by heavily armed police. Reporters were not allowed on the grounds of the courthouse.
Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections.
Officers carrying rifles wore flak jackets, helmets and had balaclavas covering their faces. They guarded a gate that only opened when a vehicle presumably carrying the suspect came and later left with a two-car police escort.
Little information about the suspect has been disclosed after prosecutors told police not to publicly identify him or release details about the case. Unconfirmed media reports have named him and said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard.
Government authorities gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn’t belong to any political groups, though they said the attack was politically motivated.
A day earlier, police took the suspect to his home in the town of Levice and seized a computer and some documents, Markiza, a Slovak television station reported.
Footage showed the gray-bearded man being escorted out of the building while holding a shopping bag full of items in his cuffed hands. He was wearing a helmet and protective vest. Police didn’t comment on the apparent search.
With authorities remaining largely silent about the case, it was not clear how the suspect got a gun. Slovakia has strict rules on firearms; gun owners must show a good reason to possess one and must pass a test.
Prime Minister Robert Fico was in serious but stable condition a day after being shot multiple times, a hospital official said.
Slovakia has one of the lowest gun ownership rates in Europe. It was ranked 23rd out of 27 European Union countries, with a gun ownership rate of 6.5 per 100 people, according to the Assn. of Accredited Public Policy Advocates to the EU.
World leaders have condemned the attack and offered support for Slovakia and Fico, who has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond.
His return to power for the fourth time last year on a pro-Russia, anti-American platform led to worries among fellow European Union and NATO members that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western course, particularly neighboring Ukraine. Slovakia was one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, but Fico halted arms deliveries when he returned to power.
Fico’s government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting — a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism, have led opponents to worry Fico would lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path.
Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged. Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest his policies.
Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions.
Despite no temporary leader being named, there was nothing imminent that needed the premier’s attention and the government was operating as planned and moving forward with Fico’s agenda, Kalinak said.
Communication with Fico was limited given his condition, Kalinak said. The next government session is planned for Wednesday and Kalinak will be in charge, he said.
Gebert writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Karel Janicek in Vsetin, Czech Republic, and Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.
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