Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times in a shocking assassination attempt on May 15th, 2024. He was attending a public meeting in the town of Handlova when a 71-year-old former security guard opened fire on him at close range.
Fico was immediately rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being shot five times.
He underwent surgery and is now expected to survive, though he remains seriously ill.
The suspected gunman was quickly apprehended by security forces and is currently in police custody.
The assassination attempt has sent shockwaves through Slovakian politics and the broader region. Fico is a divisive populist figure who campaigned on cutting support for Ukraine after Russia's invasion.
His anti-American stance has made him a controversial leader both domestically and internationally.
Slovak officials have described the attack as politically motivated and an assaul* on democracy itself.
The country's defense minister called for calm and urged people not to respond to hate with more hate.
Slovakia's president Zuzana Caputova condemned the "terrible and vicious attack," stating it was an attack on Fico as a person but also an attack on democracy.
The assassination attempt has heightened tensions in Slovakia just three weeks ahead of regional elections.
Fico's stance on Ukraine has worried European leaders and this shocking act of violenc* has further destabilized the situation
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