National media have reported that the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, was shot in public by a 71-year-old poet and member of the Pro-Western Progressive Party, Juraj Cintula.
Update (1220ET): Video of the precise moment PM Fico was shot down and the shooter’s identity was made public by national media has surfaced on various social media platforms.
Several local media reports, citing visuals and witnesses at the scene, report that the man who shot the Slovak PM is a writer and activist named Juraj Cintula.
Although Cintula’s motivation is still unknown, he is reportedly a member of the socially liberal and pro-Western “Progressive Slovakia” party.
Statements have poured in from Western leaders: “Shocked and appalled by the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico. I wish him strength for a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with Robert Fico, his loved ones, and the people of Slovakia,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on X.
Images of the gunman being apprehended have surfaced. In addition, he looks to have been hurt after being quickly brought down by security…
And from Hungarian Prime Minister Orban:
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday expressed “deep shock” over the “heinous attack against my friend” Slovakia’s premier Robert Fico, who was reportedly shot and hospitalised after a cabinet meeting.
“I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!,” the nationalist fellow EU leader wrote on X
Meanwhile, Fico’s most contentious position involved money for NATO and Ukraine, as noted by Russian media and others. The partial list of recent disputes centered on the Slovak PM is provided below by Sputnik:
- Fico earned NATO’s ire after vowing to block the delivery of weapons to Ukraine during his latest run for office. Fico has also expressed dissatisfaction with Bratislava’s defense pact with Washington, promising to review it.
- Fico has expressed fervent opposition to Ukraine’s membership in NATO and said he believes Russia began its military operation as a result of neo-Nazis running rampant in Ukraine.
- Fico has warned that Western military assistance to Ukraine will only prolong the crisis and increase the number of victims, and has accused foreign forces of meddling in the conflict, which “could have been extinguished at the very beginning.”
- Fico believes anti-Russian sanctions have “negatively affected” the lives of ordinary Slovaks.
- Fico has been bashed by European legacy media as a left-wing populist analogue of Hungarian right-wing populist Viktor Orban, with outlets pulling out all the stops to accuse him of “democratic backsliding” and “flouting European norms,” including over his push to reform the criminal code.
- The Slovak PM has also made enemies with powerful European political and business interests, promising to launch an independent inquiry into the EU’s authoritarian pandemic-era policies.
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Breaking news reports claim that Robert Fico, the populist prime minister of Slovakia, was shot. He was taken to the hospital immediately and, based on preliminary findings, looks to be alive. However, according to some reports, he needed to be flown and his condition was described as “very serious”.
Fico “was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital,” according to reports that are starting to surface in The Associated Press. According to the news television channel TA3, the incident happened in the village of Handlova, around 150 kilometers northeast of the city.”
According to the local officials, a suspect is in custody. A government gathering was being held in front of the House of Culture when the shooting occurred.
A witness “saw the prime minister being lifted from the ground by security guards and loaded into a car and driven away.”
When the bullets were fired, Fico was greeted by several individuals before collapsing to the ground. The cops then apprehended the would-be assassin. The extent of his injuries has not been made public.
Unconfirmed video of the immediate aftermath:
He has been vocal in his opposition to the West becoming more involved in the conflict in Ukraine, a stance that has earned him many foes and detractors both inside and outside of Ukraine.
Here’s how CNN reported his rise to the position of prime minister and head of the small NATO member state in October of last year, for instance. “A party headed by a pro-Kremlin figure came out top after securing more votes than expected in an election in Slovakia, official results show, in what could pose a challenge to NATO and EU unity on Ukraine.”
Nevertheless, a purpose is unknown at this early stage.
The following unverified information on his condition was reported by a national outlet in Slovakia (machine translation):
According to the available information, which immediately began to spread, Prime Minister Robert Fico was hit by 2-3 wounds, allegedly in the limb, chest and abdomen. It is said that up to 4-5 shots should have been fired. According to information from the PLUS 7 DAYS weekly , someone from the crowd called out “Robo, come here” and the shooting started.
“It’s a gunshot wound to the abdomen and arm. He’s currently out of danger. They’re going to operate on him,” our well-informed source told us at 3:30 p.m.
According to varying accounts, he might have been shot in the head.
As for Fico, he has only one other notable ally in NATO, and there is growing speculation that this has something to do with his contrarian attitude toward Ukraine versus the hawks in NATO.
Similarly, last year, as reported by GreatGameIndia, Russian authorities stated that Putin survived an assassination attempt. Footage captured by residents and shared in a local Telegram channel documented the incident.