(Bratislava) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is “between life and death” after being injured by several bullets on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting, the government of this central European country said.
Robert Fico —— a populist named prime minister last year and whose ally was recently elected president — is “between life and death,” according to the government.
According to his official Facebook page, he was shot “several times.”
“It is currently being transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica”, a town in central Slovakia, the government further clarified in a press release.
The attack came after a cabinet meeting in Handlova, central Slovakia, according to the newspaper Dennik Na reporter saw the head of government taken away in a car by bodyguards.
According to the newspaper, the suspected shooter was apprehended by the police.
“Today, after a government meeting in Handlova, there was an assassination attempt on the prime minister,” the government confirmed.
“We confirm the attack on the prime minister,” police spokesperson Matej Neumann also told AFP.
Mr. Fico was first transported to Handlova hospital, in the “vascular surgery unit,” the director of the establishment, Marta Eckhardtova, told AFP, who did not give any details. details of the nature of his injuries.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova condemned a “brutal and irresponsible” attack. ” I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from this “brutal and irresponsible” attack, said the outgoing president in a press release.
Strong emotion in Europe
The leaders of the European Union institutions reacted strongly to the news.
PHOTO JAN KROSLÁK, ASSOCIATED PRESS
“He is currently being transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica between life and death,” the government said in a statement, calling the attack an “assassination attempt.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen deplored the “despicable attack” on the Slovak prime minister.
“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family,” the Commission President wrote on X.
“Nothing can ever justify violence or such attacks,” also underlined the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also said she was “shocked by the horrible attack” on the Slovak leader. “On behalf of the European Parliament, I condemn this act of violence,” added the Maltese official.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was “dismayed”.
In Hungary, bordering Slovakia, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he was “deeply shocked by the heinous attack perpetrated against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico”. The leader added on the X network that he prayed “for his health and his speedy recovery”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the “appalling” attack on the Slovak prime minister, a populist who made statements seen as favorable to Russia before adopting a more conciliatory tone in recent months.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for his part, said he was “distraught by the cowardly attack”. “Violence can have no place in European politics. In these hours, my thoughts are with Robert Fico, the family and the Slovak citizens,” he added on the X network.
The head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni declared herself “shocked” by this “vile attack” and expressed “the strongest condemnation of any form of violence and attack on the basic principles of democracy and freedom”.