London
\nThe condition of Slovakia\u2019s Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer life-threatening, the EU country\u2019s deputy PM, Tomas Taraba, told the BBC. There was an attempt on his life earlier this week.
\nFico was shot several times on Wednesday as he approached a crowd in the city of Handlova in central Slovakia. The PM was rushed to a hospital; doctors have been fighting for his life since then.
\nThe assailant, who was detained on the spot, turned out to be 71-year-old left-wing activist Juraj Cintula. He reportedly strongly disagreed with Fico\u2019s decision to stop arms shipments to Ukraine.
\nThe prime minister is \u201cnot in a life-threatening situation at this moment,\u201d Taraba said on Sunday. \u201cFortunately, as far as I know, the operation went well \u2013 and I guess in the end he will survive,\u201d he stressed.
\nAccording to the deputy PM, Fico was \u201cheavily injured\u201d in the attack. \u201cOne bullet went thought the stomach and the second one hit a joint \u2013 he was immediately transported to the hospital and then operated on,\u201d he said.
\nMilan Urbani, the deputy head of the hospital where the Slovak leader is being treated, said earlier on Sunday that the board of doctors ruled that \u201cthe patient is currently no longer in a life-threatening state.\u201d
\nUrbani described Fico\u2019s condition as \u201cvery serious,\u201d saying that the 59-year-old \u201cneeds a lot of time and peace to recover.\u201d However, he stressed that the doctors believe that \u201ceverything will develop in a positive direction.\u201d
\nEarlier in the day, around a hundred people gathered outside the hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica to support Fico and thank the doctors who are taking care of him, the police said. The participants brought flowers to the rally, according to media reports.
\nFico, who returned to power last year, is a polarizing figure both in Slovakia and the EU due to his position regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which he insists must be settled through peaceful means, as well as due to his intention to mend relations with Moscow.
\nMany Slovak politicians have linked the attempt on the PM\u2019s life to \u201chateful rhetoric\u201d and the politically charged climate in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
London The condition of Slovakia\u2019s Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer life-threatening, the EU country\u2019s deputy PM, Tomas Taraba, told the BBC. There was an attempt on his life earlier this week. Fico was shot several times on Wednesday as he approached a crowd in the city of Handlova in central Slovakia. The PM […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-408093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n