The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, was shot in broad daylight on May 15, in Handlova.
Robert Fico was captured on video as he was leaving a government meeting at noon, collapsing to the ground after three bullets hit his arm and abdomen.
According to the local media source, Dennikn, the Prime minister is conscious and speaking, however, is undergoing surgery. The Government issued a statement, commenting that Fico´s life is “in danger,” as he is “torn between life and death.”
Local authorities have identified the attacker as Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old writer and member of the Association of Slovak Writers, who was carrying the weapon legally.
The shooting was a clear assassination attempt on the populist Prime Minister, striking a wave of utter shock across the world.
“For the first time in the 31 years of our democratic sovereign republic, someone has decided to express a political opinion not in an election but with a gun on the street,” wrote Slovakia´s interior minister, Matúš Šutaj Eštok on social media.
“A physical attack on the Prime Minister is first of all an attack on a human being, but it is also an attack on democracy,” commented Zuzana Čaputová, Slovakia´s fifth Prime Minister.
After winning the general election last September, Robert Fico has been facing widespread criticism, claimed by the public to be pro-Russian.
Russia´s President, Vladimir Putin, stated about the attack: “There can be no justification for this monstrous crime.”
The Prime Minister is now undergoing surgery and it remains unclear whether he will recover.
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