The suspect charged with the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will appear in a criminal court on Saturday, which will decide whether or not to keep him in pre-trial detention.
The man, identified by Slovak media as 71-year-old poet Juraj Cintula, fired five shots at Fico on Wednesday as prime minister was heading to his supporters after a government meeting in the town of Handlova in central Slovakia.
Government authorities said the suspect did not belong to any political groups, although the attack itself was politically motivated. The prosecutor suggested on Friday that Cintula be placed in pre-trial detention after he was charged with premeditated attempted murder. The court in Pezinok will hear Cintula’s case on Saturday morning.
Robert Fico was taken to hospital by helicopter and underwent a five-hour operation and another two-hour operation on Friday. Now, according to Miriam Lapunikova, director of the Roosevelt Hospital in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica, Fico is “conscious now, his condition is stable, but he is still in intensive care. His condition is really serious.”
Despite Fico’s controversial status, leaders across Europe condemned the attack, with officials and analysts expressing concern that deepening political divisions could lead the continent down a dangerous path. Wednesday’s attack comes ahead of June’s European Parliament elections, which are just weeks away.
