Assassination Attempt on Slovak Prime Minister; Robert Fico's Condition Critical

Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, was injured in a shooting on Wednesday afternoon, May 15, and was transferred to a hospital. Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak told the media that Robert Fico is fighting for his life. According to the Associated Press, citing a Slovak television network, 59-year-old Robert Fico, a populist and pro-Russian Prime Minister, was shot in the stomach after being targeted by four bullets while meeting with his supporters outside the cultural house in the town of Handlová, located 150 kilometers northeast of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. However, some Slovak media reported that the bullets hit both the chest and stomach of the Prime Minister. Reports indicate that the shooter has been arrested. One Slovak media outlet, citing two sources, stated that the shooter is a 71-year-old writer from the town of Levica. In this regard, the Associated Press reported that the motive of the shooter for targeting Robert Fico remains unclear. Meanwhile, a message posted on Robert Fico's Facebook page stated that he was hit by "several bullets" and that his life is currently in danger. According to reports, the Prime Minister was airlifted to a hospital in the city of Banská Bystrica because it was announced that transferring him to Bratislava would take time due to the need for urgent medical attention. As of the time of this report, Robert Fico was in surgery, and no further updates on his health status had been released. The television network Markíza reported that the mobile phones of the emergency department staff at the hospital where Robert Fico is being treated have been confiscated. Meanwhile, the website Denník N reported that doctors are concerned about potential injuries to the Prime Minister's abdomen. In the meantime, Zuzana Čaputová, the President of Slovakia, condemned the shooting at the Prime Minister as a "brutal and merciless attack" and expressed her shock, wishing for Robert Fico's swift recovery. Peter Pellegrini, the future and elected President of Slovakia, wrote on social media that he is horrified by how "hatred for a different political opinion can lead to such actions" and added, "We do not have to agree with everything, but there are many ways to express our opposition in a democratic and legal manner." He deemed the assassination attempt on Robert Fico as an "unprecedented threat" to the democratic system of Slovakia, emphasizing that "if we express differing political views with weapons in the streets rather than at the ballot box, everything that has been built in Slovakia over the past three decades is at risk. Global reactions to the assassination attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister Joe Biden, the President of the United States, expressed concern in a statement published on the White House website regarding the assassination attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister, saying, "Jill and I pray for his swift recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia." Mr. Biden condemned this "horrific and violent act" and announced that the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava is in close contact with the Slovak government and is ready to assist. Additionally, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that the attack on Robert Fico "has no justification." Furthermore, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on social media platform X that she strongly condemns the "malicious attack" on Robert Fico. She added, "Such violent acts have no place in our society and undermine democracy, which is our most valuable common interest." Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General, also expressed that he is "shocked and horrified" by the incident on X. Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, wrote on the messaging platform that "violence should have no place in European politics." Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, also expressed on X that he was "shocked to hear this terrible news." Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, called the assassination attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister a "terrible act" and stated, "We strongly condemn this violent act against the head of government of our neighboring country" and emphasized, "All efforts must be made to ensure that violence does not become normalized in any country." Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, also condemned the shooting of his Slovak counterpart as a "malicious attack." Petr Pavel, the President of the Czech Republic, wrote on X that the attack on Robert Fico is unequivocally condemnable and emphasized that the assassination of the Slovak Prime Minister "should serve as a warning to us about the impact of deepening enmity and aggression in society." Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, referred to the news of the shooting of Robert Fico as "shocking news" from Slovakia.