Slovakia interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok on Thursday reportedly said a “lone wolf” has been charged in the shooting that critically injured wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico and prompted soul-searching among leaders in the deeply divided society.
Five shots were reportedly fired at Fico outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital.
Critically injured Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s condition:
Fico is said to be in serious but stable condition. The populist leader Fico was hit multiple times in an attempt on his life that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections.
Shockwaves after assassination attempt on Slovak PM:
The attempted assassination has shocked the Slovakia, with many blaming the attack in part on extreme political polarization that has divided the country.
Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok on the attack:
Earlier, the country’s Interior Minister Estok had said an initial investigation found “a clear political motivation” behind the attack on Fico while he was attending a government meeting in a former coal mining town. However, on Thursday as per Associated Press report he has said the suspect charged was a lone wolf who “did not belong to any political groups.”
He has not specified what the motivation was behind the attack.
Slovak PM Fico Considered 'divisive figure':
Fico is considered a "divisive figure" in Slovakia and beyond, and his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would abandon his country's pro-Western course.
The attempt on Fico’s life came at a time of high division in Slovakia, as thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country to protest his policies. It also comes just ahead of June elections for the European Parliament.
Slovakia's political rivals appeared together in an appeal for Slovaks to overcome their increasingly tense political differences for the good of the country.
