Watch | Slovak PM’s bodyguards spring into action after ‘assassination attempt’

Eastern European media outlet NEXTA, citing local reports, posted on X that Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times.

Robert Fico, Slovakia Prime Minister Slovak

Rescue workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia (Reuters Photo)

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and hospitalised on Wednesday (May 15) following a cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova.

Visuals of the aftermath show his bodyguards swiftly escorting him into his armored limousine.

Eastern European media outlet NEXTA, citing local reports, posted on X that Prime Minister Fico was shot multiple times. “One shot to the abdomen, one to the head. He’s in serious condition,” NEXTA reported.

⚡️⚡️⚡️ The first minutes after the attack on Robert #Fico – the prime minister’s security guards evacuate him to his motorcade while eyewitnesses hold the shooter

According to preliminary information from Slovak media, Fico was shot multiple times. One to the abdomen, one to the… pic.twitter.com/vhcYPPjjlg

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 15, 2024

According to TA3, a Slovakian TV station, 59-year-old Fico was shot in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in Handlova, approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of the capital, where he was meeting with supporters. A suspect has been detained, the report stated.

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A message posted to Fico’s Facebook account said the leader “has been shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition.” It said he was being transported by helicopter to the Banská Bystrica, 29 kilometers (63 miles) away from Handlova, because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute procedure.

“The next few hours will decide,” the TA3 report said.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned the “vile attack” on Fico. “I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico and his family,” von der Leyen said on social media platform X.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the incident “shocking”, adding, “I wish the premier to get well soon. We cannot tolerate violence, there’s no place for it in society.” The Czech Republic and Slovakia formed Czechoslovakia till 1992.

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: “Shocking news from Slovakia. Robert, my thoughts are with you in this very difficult moment.”

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