Slovakia PM shooting – live: Robert Fico ‘escaped death by a hair’ as president says situation ‘critical’

Slovak populist prime minister shot in stomach during meeting with supporters in Handlova

Robert Fico in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt

The Slovakian prime minister “escaped death by just a hair,” after he was shot in the stomach in an assassination attempt on Wednesday.

Mr Fico, 59, was injured after five shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova where the leader was meeting with supporters.

In an update on Thursday, Slovakia’s president-elect Peter Pellegrini said the PM is still “critical” as he is living “the worst hours and days of his life”.

He added that if the bullets struck just a few millimetres either side, the Mr Fico would have been killed.

Suspect Juraj Cintula, 71, believed to be a former security guard and poet, was charged with attempted murder and faces up to 25 years in prison.

He is believed to have attended anti-government protests, and in social media posts referred to having disagreements with Mr Fico’s policies.

Mr Fico, a well-known ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is a divisive figure in Slovak politics, with the European Union Parliament elections due to take place in three weeks.

Key Points

• PM was ‘escaped death by a hair,’ president says
• Fico ‘not out of the woods yet’ following assassination attempt
• Suspect charged with attempted murder
• Slovak PM Fico's condition stabilised but serious
• Footage of man being detained after shooting

[16 May 2024 02:00 · Holly Evans]

Slovakia’s parliament suspended after prime minister Robert Fico injured

[16 May 2024 04:00 · Holly Evans]

Sunak’s ‘shock’ at shooting of Slovakian counterpart Fico

Rishi Sunak said he was “shocked” by the “awful news” that his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico had been shot.

Mr Fico is in a life-threatening condition after being wounded in the shooting in the town of Handlova.

The Prime Minister said on X, formerly Twitter: “Shocked to hear this awful news.

“All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family.”

Read the full article here:

[16 May 2024 04:09 · Namita Singh]

Who is Robert Fico, the populist Slovak prime minister wounded in a shooting?

Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times after a political event yesterday afternoon, an episode of violence that punctuated his decades-long career in politics.

His deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba later told the BBC he believed Mr Fico would survive the attack, saying “he’s not in a life threatening situation at this moment”.

Mr Fico, 59, was born in 1964 in what was then Czechoslovakia. A member of the Communist Party before the dissolution of communism, he took a law degree in 1986 and was first elected to Slovakia’s parliament in 1992 as a member of the Party of the Democratic Left.

Read more about his political ascent in this report:

[16 May 2024 04:36 · Namita Singh]

Robert Fico ‘will survive’ assassination attempt, says deputy prime minister

Robert Fico will survive the assassaination attempt, said his deputy prime minister.Slovakia’s prime minister had been greeting supporters at an event when he was shot multiple times, shocking the small country and reverberating across Europe weeks before an election.

“I guess in the end he will survive,” Tomas Taraba told the BBC, adding: “He’s not in a life threatening situation at this moment.”

Mr Taraba said one bullet went through the prime minister’s stomach and a second hit a joint.

Slovak prime minister Robert Fico looks on during a press conference, before a shooting incident where he was wounded, in Handlova, Slovakia, 15 May 2024 (Reuters)

News outlet Aktuality.sk cited an unnamed source saying Mr Fico was out of surgery and in stable condition.

Defence minister Robert Kalinak told a news briefing hours earlier that Mr Fico had suffered “serious polytrauma” after several shot wounds.

[16 May 2024 04:51 · Namita Singh]

Robert Fico turns Slovakia away from Western mainstream

Robert Fico’s return to power last year on a pro-Russian and anti-American message caused worry among fellow European Union members that he would lead his country further away from the Western mainstream.

Kicking off his fourth term as prime minister, Fico’s government halted arms deliveries to Ukraine and left critics claiming that he will lead Slovakia — a nation of 5.4 million which is a member of Nato — to abandon its pro-Western course and follow in the footsteps of Hungary under prime minister Viktor Orban.

Thousands of people have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Mr Fico’s policies.

[16 May 2024 05:00 · Namita Singh]

World leaders condemn assassination attempt on Fico

US president Joe Biden said he was alarmed by the assassination attempt on Robert Fico. “We condemn this horrific act of violence,” he said in a statement.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg posted on X that he was “shocked and appalled” by the attempt on Mr Fico’s life. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called it a “vile attack”.

Slovak PM Robert Fico attends government meeting, in Handlova (Reuters)

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the violence against a neighboring country’s head of government.

“Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form or sphere,” he said.

[16 May 2024 05:28 · Namita Singh]

Putin condemns Fico assassination attempt as monstrous crime

Vladimir Putin described the shooting of Slovakia prime minister Robert Fico as a “monstrous” crime.

In a telegram sent to Slovakia’s president Zuzana Caputova, he said: “I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Slovak prime minister Robert Fico during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia (AP)

[16 May 2024 05:38 · Namita Singh]

Kremlin wishes Fico a speedy recovery

Kremlin wished Robert Fico a speedy recovery, reported Russia’s news agency RIA.

[16 May 2024 06:00 · Holly Evans]

Who is Robert Fico? Slovakia’s prime minister who returned to power on a pro-Russian platform

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, an episode of violence that punctuated his long career spanning decades in politics.

Fico, 59, returned to power in Slovakia last year. Having previously served twice as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, his third term made him the longest-serving head of government in Slovakia’s history.

He and his party Smer (Direction) have most often been described as left-populist, though he has also been compared to right-wing politicians like the nationalist prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán.

Read the full article here:

[16 May 2024 06:03 · Namita Singh]

‘Doctors fought for Fico’s life’

Doctors fought for the life of Robert Fico for several hours, said defence minister Robert Kalina, while speaking with reporters outside the hospital where the prime minister is receiving treatment.