Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times on Wednesday in Handlová, approximately 160km northeast of Bratislava, while meeting supporters. The shooting occurred outside the House of Culture. Fico, conscious upon arrival at a local hospital, was later airlifted for emergency surgery, which reportedly went well, according to Deputy Prime Minister Tomáš Taraba.
Authorities identified the shooter as 71-year-old poet Juraj Cintula. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok stated that the attack appeared politically motivated. Global leaders, including Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, and Vladimir Putin, condemned the attack. Slovakia’s President Zuzana Čaputová termed the incident an attack on both a human being and democracy.
The suspect, believed to have founded an 'anti-violence' movement, was detained immediately after the incident. The shooting raises concerns amid an already tense political climate in Europe.