Slovakian PM is shot and wounded and taken to hospital as gunman is bundled to the ground while trying to flee

The Prime Minister of Slovakia has been ‘shot and wounded and taken to hospital,’ local reports have claimed.

Robert Fico, 59, was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, following a Slovak government meeting.

Shots were fired in front of the House of Culture, before a man was quickly pounced upon and detained by security officials.

A witness told Slovakian news site Dennik, that Fico had left the building to greet people who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him before ‘several shots were fired’. 

Fico then reportedly fell to the ground, where she claimed to have seen wounds on his head and chest. 

Fico was shot following a government meeting on Wednesday outside the House of Culture in Handlova and was pictured being moved into a car by security officials

The alleged assailant was detained by cops at the scene

The attacker was pushed to the ground and handcuffed

According to The Herald, an eye witness who had been waiting to greet the PM said: ‘I was just going to shake his hand, when the shots rang out it almost deafened me’.

The alleged assailant was nabbed by cops on site, who then cordoned off the area and the House of Culture was evacuated. 

TV Joj alleges the shooter was a 71-year-old man, but this is yet to be confirmed. 

The injured prime minister was then airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital after suffering shots to the chest and abdomen, reports Pluska. 

He was later flown to another hospital in Banska Bystrica, east of Handlova.

It was also reported that someone from within the crowd yelled ‘Robo, come here’ before the shooting began. 

Following the shock attack, the head of the liberal political party Progressive Slovakia, Michala Šimeček, said:’ We unequivocally and strongly condemn any violence. We trust that Prime Minister Fico will be fine and that this terrible act will be brought to light as soon as possible.’ 

According to a local report from Digi24, a Romanian news TV channel, Fico was hit by at least two bullets, before the Slovak Ministry of the Interior confirmed it was an assassination attempt.

Fico has been serving as the PM of Slovakia since September 2023, having returned to power after serving previously from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.

During his run in 2016, the leader commented on Brexit saying it was unclear what the United Kingdom wanted, adding that it ‘must suffer’ more than the 27 countries who will remain in the bloc.

Robert Fico pictured speaking with people before the cabinet’s away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia

It is not currently known what the shooter’s motives were behind the attack

Czech PM, Petr Fiala said: ‘We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society’

Following Wednesday’s shooting, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova condemned ‘a brutal and ruthless’ attack on the premier.

‘I’m shocked,’ Ms Caputova said. 

‘I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.’

Deputy speaker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR news agency said.

Czech PM, Petr Fiala, has responded to the attack on X, formerly Twitter, posting: ‘The news about the shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is shocking.

‘I wish the prime minister to get well as soon as possible. We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society.’

There is allegedly no information about the shooter’s motives at this time. 

Fico’s renewed leadership as prime minister got off to a rocky start after he halted military aid to Ukraine in January, and just last month he pushed through plans to crap public broadcaster RTVS. 

Parliament was sitting at the time of the attack and local Slovak media reported that a party colleague of Fico’s shouted at opposition MPs, accusing them of inciting the attack. 

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