The individual who allegedly tried to murder Robert Fico, the Slovakian Prime Minister, has shown up in court for the first time. Fico is currently recovering from surgery after being shot multiple times and is in a severe but stable state, according to Slovak national press.
On Wednesday, as he was leaving a government meeting in a one-time coal mining town called Handlova, the 59-year-old leader was violently attacked. The assailant was subsequently apprehended and has appeared before the Specialised Criminal Court on Saturday, with authorities requesting his continued detention.
During the court proceedings, the press was prohibited from being present. The Slovakian health minister, Zuzana Dolinkova, commented on Mr Fico’s steady but severe condition post-surgery, which was performed on Friday to remove necrotic tissue from the bullet wounds.
Robert Kaliniak, the Deputy Prime Minister, displayed optimism regarding Mr Fico’s prognosis during his statements outside the hospital in Banka Bystrica, where the PM is recovering. Although initially Mr Fico’s outlook seemed rather bleak after being shot in the stomach, his condition has since improved significantly due to the successful medical intervention.
Kalinak also highlighted “the considerable possibility” of Fico suffering post-surgery complications, pointing out that this period tends to last four to five days after a gunshot wound.
While the suspected attacker’s identity has been withheld from the public, it’s rumoured that he’s a retired 71-year-old male with an interest in poetry who may have previously been employed as a shopping mall security guard. Details released by the government corroborated this profile, while also affirming that he has no known affiliations to any political groups, despite the attack’s political nature.
Authorities dressed in balaclavas, with firearms, provided security at the courtroom, located in the small town of Pezinok, near the capital, Bratislava. They searched the suspect’s residence in Levice on Friday and confiscated a computer and various documents, according to local news outlets.
In Banska Bystrica’s University FD Roosevelt Hospital, Miriam Lapunikova, the head, confirmed that Mr Fico was admitted in intensive care after a shooting incident and had been airlifted to the hospital. He was alert and condition was stable. Mr Fico’s politics have regularly caused heated debates in Slovakia and internationally. His pro-Russia, anti-US stance following his recent regain of power instigated trepidation amongst EU and Nato members as they feared he might steer Slovakia away from its western alliances, notably regarding Ukraine. This concern became more poignant at the onset of Russia’s full-blown invasion in February 2022. Slovakia had been one of Ukraine’s strongest allies, but this support waned when Mr Fico returned to power for the fourth time and ceased arms transfers to Ukraine. In protest of his policies, thousands of demonstrators across Slovakia, a country of over 5 million people, have been regularly gathering in the capital and other regions. [AP/Reuters]