Robert Fico continues to improve, is now in stable condition, is communicating, and the inflammations in his body are gradually decreasing, according to a statement from the hospital treating the Slovak Prime Minister.
Fico was shot in the town of Handlová (Nyitrabánya) after a government meeting on 5 May. Gunshots were fired outside the local cultural centre where the government had been conducting an off-site meeting. The prime suffered multiple wounds to the chest and abdomen.
The police detained the assailant, cordoned off the area and evacuated the cultural centre. The special police unit protecting distinguished persons took care of the safety of the other government members present. According a report, not long before the gunshots, a voice had shouted, ‘Robo, come here!’ It looked like someone just wanted to shake the PM’s hand, but then shots rang out. Bodyguards immediately dragged Fico to his vehicle and rushed him to the hospital. Then, he was air-transported to Banská Bystrica (Besztercebánya). According to POLITICO, doctors reportedly removed part of Fico’s small intestine due to heavy bleeding into his abdominal cavity.
The special court based in Pezinok ordered the pre-trial detention of Juraj C., a resident of Levice (Léva), who was apprehended at the scene following the armed attack. Following a decision-making process that lasted around two hours, the court justified the suspect’s pre-trial detention on the grounds of potential flight risk and the possibility of continued criminal activity, as reported by the public service news agency TASR. The court’s decision is not yet final.
During the police interrogation, the suspect admitted to his actions. The police initiated proceedings against the alleged perpetrator on Thursday, charging him with the attempted premeditated murder of a protected person. Under Slovak law, this crime carries a penalty of up to 25 years in prison or even life imprisonment. Interior Minister Šutaj-Eštok previously stated that the investigation into the perpetrator’s motives clearly indicated that it was a politically motivated act.
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