The prime minister had been greeting supporters at an event when the attempted assassination took place.
FILE - Slovakia 's Prime Minister Robert Fico arrives to a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. The Slovak interior minister said Thursday that a “lone wolf” has been charged in the shooting thatand prompted soul-searching among leaders in the deeply divided society.
The minister did not specify what the motivation was. Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond, and his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would abandon his country's pro-Western course.
“Let us step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations," Caputova said at a news conference in the capital Bratislava. “What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work.” Zuzana Eliasova, a resident of the capital Bratislava, said the attack on Fico was a “shock” to the nation and an attack on democracy at a time when political tensions were already running high.
Slovak police have provided no information on the identity of the shooter. But unconfirmed media reports suggested he was a 71-year-old retiree who was known as an amateur poet, and may have previously worked as a security guard at a mall in the country's southwest.
Assassination Fico Election Prime Minister Political Europe Violence
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Slovak prime minister in life-threatening condition after being shot, his Facebook profile saysSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile. The populist, pr…
Read more »
Slovak prime minister in life-threatening condition after being shot, his Facebook profile saysSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.
Read more »
Slovak prime minister in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt, government saysSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered life-threatening injuries when he was shot and wounded in an attempted assassination on Wednesday, the government office said.
Read more »
Reactions as Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is shot and woundedSlovakian Prime MInister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot by an assailant following a political event.
Read more »
Reactions as Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is shot and woundedSlovakian Prime MInister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot by an assailant following a political event
Read more »
Reactions as Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is shot and woundedSlovakian Prime MInister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot by an assailant following a political event.
Read more »