Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded on Wednesday in a shooting at a cultural centre in Bratislava, Dennikn reports.
Nothing is yet known about his condition. However, eyewitnesses report that he was taken to hospital by helicopter.
The shooting occurred in the town of Handlová in the Trenčín region, according to local TV station ta3. It also reported that the suspect in the shooting had been detained.
Witnesses say the shooting occurred after a government meeting when he was greeting a crowd outside. Three or four shots were fired, after which he fell to the ground. According to one report, he was shot in the chest and stomach.
The Speaker of the Parliament Ľuboš Blaha also confirmed information about the incident at the plenary session of the Slovak National Council. He suspended the work of the current session for an indefinite period of time, the media specified. In addition, Blaha blamed the opposition for the incident. He said, addressing the representatives of the opposition bloc:
“This is your job.”
No word yet on the motives for the shooting, but Fico is causing controversy in Europe for his “weak” support for Ukraine. Earlier, he said the only way to end the war is for Ukraine to give up some of its territory. He also is against Ukraine’s joining NATO. After coming to power last October, Fico opposed military aid to Ukraine.
Earlier, the Czech Security and Information Service caught a Ukrainian man, who was allegedly preparing an assassination attempt on Slovak President Peter Pellegrini. The police said that the attacker was detained in the Czech city of Brno as he was pulling out a weapon.
