Slovak defence minister and deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak (C), flanked by director of the FD Roosevelt University Hospital Miriam Lapunikova (L), addresses the media outside the hospital (EPA)
Mr Kalinak, who also serves as defence minister, is currently standing in for Mr Fico during the prime minister’s absence.
A 71-year-old man named Juraj Cintula was arrested and charged with attempted murder for the attack. Unconfirmed media reports suggested he was a retiree who was known as an amateur poet, and may have previously worked as a security guard at a mall in the country’s southwest.
Prosecutors are seeking an order from Slovakia’s Specialized Criminal Court to detain the suspect.
Government authorities on Thursday described the suspect as a “lone wolf” who did not belong to any political groups, though they said the attack itself was politically motivated.
“This is a lone wolf whose actions were accelerated after the presidential election since he was dissatisfied with its outcome,” said interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok.
Markiza, a Slovak television station, showed footage of the suspect being taken to his home in the town of Levice on Friday morning, and reported that police had seized a computer and some documents.
Police did not comment due to a ban by prosecutors on publicising the suspect’s identity and other details about the case.
On Wednesday, after Mr Fico underwent five hours of surgery immediately after he was shot, deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba said: “Fortunately as far as I know the operation went well – and I guess in the end he will survive … he’s not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.”
“He is able to speak but only a few sentences and then he is really tired because he is on some medication,” president-elect Peter Pellegrini said on Thursday.
Mr Pellegrini added that if the bullets struck just a few millimetres either side, Mr Fico would have been killed.
Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. His return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform led to worries among fellow European Union and Nato members that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western course, particularly on Ukraine.
Mr Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the murder of politicians, and he blamed the media for fuelling tensions.
Source link : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/slovakia-pm-robert-fico-second-surgery-b2547255.html
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Publish date : 2024-05-18 07:00:00
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