Slovak police have indicted the man who shot Prime Minister Robert Fico for “attempted murder,” the Interior Minister announced Thursday, May 16. “Slovak police are working on a unique version of the attack and the suspect is charged with attempted premeditated murder,” Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters, adding that the attack was “politically motivated.”
Targeted on Wednesday by a shooter whose motivations remain unclear at this stage, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was in a stable but still “very serious” condition on Thursday morning. The 59-year-old leader underwent a five-hour operation on Wednesday at Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica (Central), where he was transported by helicopter. He suffers from “multiple injuries” and will remain in intensive care, said the director of the establishment, Miriam Lapunikova, during a press conference early in the morning.
“Unfortunately, his condition remains very serious, because his injuries are complicated,” confirmed Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak, also Minister of Defense. According to Mr. Kalinak, this is “a political attack” to which we must “react.”
International convictions
Robert Fico was shot several times early Wednesday afternoon, after a meeting in Handlova, in central Slovakia, an attack which sparked a wave of international condemnation.
The alleged assailant, a 71-year-old man identified by Slovak media as a local writer, was charged Thursday with “premeditated attempted murder,” Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok announced, referring to an attack “ politically motivated.” “He was a lone wolf” who decided to take action “after the results of the presidential election, with which he was unhappy,” he said.
Faced with tensions in the political class, Peter Pellegrini, a long-time ally of Mr. Fico, urged the parties to “temporarily suspend” the campaign in view of the vote scheduled for June 8. “Slovakia does not need more confrontations” and “mutual accusations” at this moment, said the official, who will take office in June.