Slovakia's Prime Minister is in critical condition after being assassinated 0
(Dan Tri) – Slovak officials announced that Prime Minister Robert Fico is out of danger after surgery for a gunshot wound.
The moment Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot on May 15 (Photo: Reuters).
In an interview with the BBC late on May 15, Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia Tomas Taraba said that Prime Minister Fico was out of danger and had a high chance of survival after surgery.
`Fortunately, as far as I know, the surgery went well. I guess he will eventually survive. He is no longer in danger of his life,` Deputy Prime Minister Taraba shared.
Mr. Taraba added: `He was seriously injured, one bullet penetrated his stomach and the second bullet hit his joint. He was immediately transported to the hospital and had surgery.`
Local media also said that the surgery was completed after a few hours and Mr. Fico was out of danger.
Mr. Fico, 59 years old, was shot while leaving a meeting on May 15.
Prime Minister Fico was shot while interacting with people after a meeting (Photo: Reuters).
According to some news reports, Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot while greeting people waiting outside the building.
One witness said: `It feels like a nightmare. Never thought this would happen in Slovakia.` This witness recalled that at that time, she was eager to shake hands and take pictures with the Prime Minister.
`At that moment, I heard a loud explosion. At first, we thought someone was joking and setting off firecrackers. Then there were 3 loud explosions in a row. Everything happened very quickly,` the witness said.
According to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, the suspect shot five times at Prime Minister Fico.
Some sources said that the suspect was identified as a former high-ranking bodyguard.
The suspect appears to be Juraj Cintula and may have ties to the Slovenski Branci paramilitary organization active in Slovakia since 2012, Pravda sources said.
Based on initial information after questioning the suspect, Mr. Estok said that this was a politically motivated attack.
`This assassination was politically motivated and the suspect made the decision to do it right after the presidential election,` Minister Estok said.
Defense Secretary Robert Kalinak also shared the same opinion: `Clearly this is a politically motivated incident.`
Interior Minister Estok said he would ask the Deputy Prime Minister to convene a meeting of the National Security Council.
Prime Minister Fico was taken to the emergency hospital (Photo: AFP).
He described Slovakia as having just experienced the worst day in the democratic process.
A series of international leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, condemned the attack and sent their wishes to Prime Minister Fico.
