Bratislava
\nSlovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been shot and wounded on Wednesday in the town of Handlova. Multiple shots were fired at the politician as he greeted the public after a government meeting.
\nLocal media describe his condition as \u201cserious\u201d and \u201clife threatening.\u201d A post on Fico\u2019s Facebook page has warned that the \u201cnext few hours will be critical.\u201d
\nThe prime minister has been transported to a hospital in Banska Bystrica, a small city in the center of the country, because it would have taken too long to reach Bratislava, the statement added. An official from Fico\u2019s Smer party has told the media that the prime minister was shot in the abdomen and is now undergoing surgery.
\nThe shooting took place as Fico shook hands with members of the public outside a government building. The suspected gunman was detained at the scene, according to state news agency TASR.
\nThe suspected gunman \u2013 believed to a Slovakian of pension age, according to reports \u2013 was detained at the scene, the state news agency TASR has reported. Video footage purportedly shows officers pinning the attacker to the ground after the incident.
\nPresident Zuzana Caputova condemned the \u201cbrutal and reckless\u201d attack on Fico, and wished the PM \u201ca lot of strength at this critical moment.\u201d
\nFico took office in October 2023, after serving two stints as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. Fico immediately halted the previous government\u2019s policy of military aid to Ukraine and called for a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kiev. His neutral stance on the conflict has seen him clash with Brussels, and with pro-Western figures within Slovakia such as Caputova.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bratislava Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been shot and wounded on Wednesday in the town of Handlova. Multiple shots were fired at the politician as he greeted the public after a government meeting. Local media describe his condition as \u201cserious\u201d and \u201clife threatening.\u201d A post on Fico\u2019s Facebook page has warned that the \u201cnext […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-407245","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n