Attack in Slovakia
Prime Minister Fico is probably in better condition – suspected assassin in custody
The attacker of the injured Robert Fico is taken into custody. This was decided by Slovakia’s special court responsible for organized and politically motivated crimes.
© Šálek Václav / TASR / DPA
Robert Fico’s condition remains serious but stable. The head of government of Slovakia was the victim of an attack three days ago. The arrested suspected assassin is currently on trial.
Three days after the assassination attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the condition of the seriously injured politician is apparently improving. A new two-hour operation on Friday “contributed to a positive prognosis for the head of government’s health,” said Slovak Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova on Saturday. Meanwhile, a court ordered the alleged attacker, a 71-year-old Slovakian, to be in custody.
The 59-year-old Fico was critically injured by four shots in the small town of Handlova on Wednesday and then underwent emergency surgery for five hours. On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak described the Prime Minister’s condition as “very serious”. The pro-Russian head of government continued to be treated at the hospital in the central Slovakian town of Banska Bystrica, where he was admitted after the assassination attempt.
Fico had to undergo another two-hour operation on Friday. The health minister now said that the head of government’s condition was “stable, but still serious.”
Assassination attempt on Robert Fico shocks Slovakia
Fico was hit by gunfire while talking to citizens on the street after a cabinet meeting in the small town of Handlova. The suspected assassin, a 71-year-old amateur writer from the central Slovakian city of Levice, was overpowered by security forces at the scene and arrested.
On Saturday, the man, identified by Slovak media as Juraj C., was brought before a special criminal court in Pezinok, northeast of the capital Bratislava. The court ordered pre-trial detention because of the possible risk of escape or the risk of “continuation of criminal activities,” according to a court spokeswoman. Investigators searched the apartment of the suspect accused of attempted murder on Friday.
According to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, the attacker was a “loner” who was angry about the outcome of the presidential election. This was won by Peter Pellegrini, an ally of the pro-Russian populist Fico. The government assumes it was a “politically motivated act”.
Assassin talks about his motive – Fico is stable again after surgery
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The assassin fired five shots at Fico, who was hit four times, mainly in the stomach. The Interior Minister now said on the TA3 channel that if one of the shots at Fico had been “just a few centimeters higher, then the head of government’s liver would have been hit.”
Head of government probably conscious
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Kalinak, one of Fico’s closest confidants, said the prime minister was conscious and his health was improving. But he added: “I don’t think he can be taken to Bratislava in the next few days, his condition is still too serious.”
Fico became head of government again in October after his populist Smer party won the election. The pro-Russian populist was head of government from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. In 2018 he was forced to resign after the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancé, who had written about the Italian mafia’s connections to Fico’s ruling party.
When Fico became head of government again in October, he stopped Slovakia’s military aid to Kiev and questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty. Most recently, the restructuring of public broadcasting decided by his government caused mass protests. Journalists’ associations and the opposition criticized that press freedom was being undermined.
Slovakia strongly divided
For years, Slovakia has been sharply divided into a pro-European camp and a nationalist camp, to which Fico and Pellegrini are attributed. The recent presidential election was marked by disinformation in online networks and verbal attacks.
Outgoing, pro-European President Zuzana Caputova and her successor Pellegrini, who takes office in June, called on Slovaks to refrain from any “confrontation.” They invited the leaders of all parties in parliament to a meeting on Tuesday to demonstrate unity.
Kalinak made it clear on Saturday that the Smer party would not take part. The head of the Smer party was “in the hands of the doctors,” he said as justification. However, he also emphasized that “reconciliation and peace” were needed in the country.
On Friday, Kalinak criticized the opposition and some media outlets that attacked Fico as a criminal or dictator or Kremlin friend. “All of these lies are the main reason Robert Fico is fighting for his life today,” he said.