(Pezinok) The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was ordered to remain behind bars on Saturday, while the country’s leader was in serious but stable condition after surviving multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.
Prosecutors asked Slovakia’s specialized criminal court to order the suspect’s detention, fearing he might escape or commit other crimes, a court spokesman said.
Robert Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters after a government meeting Wednesday in the former mining town of Handlova, officials said. The suspect fired five shots before being tackled to the ground and arrested.
Prosecutors asked police not to publicly identify the man or release other details about the case, but media reports said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have worked as a security guard in a shopping center in the southwest of the country. This has not been confirmed.
Government officials have given details that match this description. They said the suspect did not belong to any political group, although the attack itself was politically motivated.
The courthouse in Pezinok, a small town outside the capital, Bratislava, was guarded by police wearing helmets, balaclavas and carrying rifles. Media were not allowed in and journalists were held behind a door outside.
PHOTO BERNADETT SZABO, REUTERS
Prime Minister’s supporters lay flowers outside FD Roosevelt Hospital
On Friday, Mr. Fico underwent two hours of surgery to remove dead tissue from multiple gunshot wounds, but he was still not well enough to go to a hospital in the capital, Bratislava, government ministers said. government in front of the FD Roosevelt University Hospital in Banská Bystric, where the leader was taken by helicopter after the shooting.
“Many miracles have happened […] in recent days, coming from the hands of doctors, nurses and all medical staff, said Defense Minister Robert Kalinak. I cannot find words of gratitude for the fact that we are gradually getting closer to a positive outcome. »
On Friday, police took the suspect to his home in the town of Levice and seized a computer and documents, Markiza, a Slovak television channel, reported. Police have not commented.
With police remaining largely silent on the case, it was unclear how the suspect came to possess a gun.
Slovakia has strict rules on firearms and gun owners must have a good reason to own one and must pass a test.
As a result, Slovakia has one of the lowest gun ownership rates in Europe. He is ranked 23e out of 27 European Union countries with a gun ownership rate of 6.5 per 100 inhabitants, according to the Association of Accredited Public Policy Advocates to the European Union.
A divisive leader
World leaders condemned the attack and offered support to Mr Fico and Slovakia.
The prime minister has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond its borders. His return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American agenda raised fears among other members of the European Union and NATO that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western positions, particularly on Ukraine.
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Slovakia was one of Ukraine’s staunchest defenders, but Mr. Fico cut off arms deliveries to Ukraine upon his return to power, his fourth term as prime minister.
His government has also made efforts to restructure public broadcasting – a move that opponents say would give the government full control of public television and radio. This, coupled with his proposed reform of the penal system, which would abolish the office of the special prosecutor responsible for organized crime, corruption and extremism, has led opponents to fear that Robert Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path .
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered several times in the capital and across this country of 5.4 million people to oppose his policies.
Robert Fico said on Facebook last month that he believed growing tensions in the country could lead to the assassination of political officials, and he accused the media of fueling tensions.
Before he returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were under police investigation, and dozens of them were charged.
The next government session is scheduled for Wednesday and Robert Kalinak will chair it, the Slovak government office said.