The news that Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico was assassinated right after a government meeting on May 15 shocked European leaders.
Assassination Attempt on Slovakia Prime Minister Shakes
In a startling incident that has shaken Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and critically injured in the town of Handlova, approximately 150 kilometers from the capital city of Bratislava. The attack occurred as the prime minister was engaging with citizens outside a government building.
The Shooting Incident The Slovak news agency TASR reported that Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, Lubos Blaha, confirmed that Prime Minister Fico sustained gunshot wounds1. According to Dennik, a local news outlet, four shots were fired, hitting Fico and causing him to collapse to the ground. Security personnel quickly intervened, lifting the injured prime minister into a vehicle and rushing him to a nearby hospital. His condition has not yet been disclosed.
Aftermath and Arrest Witnesses at the scene described a man being apprehended by the police shortly after the shooting. A video circulated online shows law enforcement officers subduing the assailant on the ground3. Born in 1964, Fico took office as the Slovak Prime Minister in October 2023, having previously led the government from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. Following his recent inauguration, he suspended military aid to Ukraine from the previous government and called for a negotiated resolution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
National Reaction Slovak President Zuzana Caputova strongly condemned the attack, describing it as “brutal and reckless” and directed at Prime Minister Fico. She extended her wishes for strength to the prime minister during this critical time1. The incident has sparked a nationwide conversation about the security of political figures and the current state of democracy in Slovakia.
