An ambulance believed to be carrying Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico following a shooting incident drives on, in Handlova, Slovakia, May 15, 2024. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sustained severe injuries in an attempted assassination on Wednesday, as announced by the government office. The incident occurred subsequent to a government meeting held in the central city of Handlova, following which Fico, aged 59, was promptly transported to a hospital in Handlova and subsequently airlifted to Banska Bystrica for urgent medical attention.
According to a witness account reported by Reuters, several gunshots were heard after the conclusion of the meeting in Handlova, located northeast of the capital Bratislava. Law enforcement officers promptly apprehended a suspect, while security personnel swiftly escorted another individual into a vehicle and departed the scene.
The government office issued a statement confirming the attempted assassination, emphasizing the urgency of Fico’s medical treatment necessitating transportation by helicopter to Banska Bystrica due to the impracticality of reaching Bratislava in a timely manner.
Emergency Services received notification of the shooting in Handlova shortly after 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) and dispatched an emergency helicopter to assist the injured 59-year-old individual, as reported by local media outlet TA3, which further detailed that four shots had been fired and that Fico, identified as a leftist prime minister, had sustained injuries to the abdomen.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, led international condemnation of the attack, denouncing violence as incompatible with democratic principles and extending her sympathies to Prime Minister Fico and his family.
The Slovak government had convened in Handlova as part of a national tour following its assumption of power in late preceding year. Fico, serving his fourth term as prime minister, has demonstrated a varied political trajectory over three decades, oscillating between pro-European stances and nationalist viewpoints, occasionally responsive to shifts in public sentiment or political dynamics.
In response to the incident, Slovakia’s principal opposition party canceled a planned protest regarding government reforms pertaining to the public broadcaster scheduled for Wednesday evening. Slovak President Zuzana Caputova and several international leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, voiced their shock and condemnation of the assassination attempt, affirming the imperative of safeguarding democratic norms and rejecting violence in political discourse.
COMMENTS