BANSKA BISTRIZA, Slovakia (AP) – Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Roberto Fico remained in critical condition Sunday after being shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that shocked Europe’s deeply polarized nations. Four days later, the prognosis was said to be good. He is a federated nation, said the defense minister.
“The worst we feared has passed, at least for now. But his condition remains serious,” Robert Kalinak told reporters outside the hospital where Fico is being treated. . “His condition is stable and the prognosis is good.”
Kalinac said the hospital treating the Slovak leader in Banská Bystrica, a former mining town of 16,000 people 29 kilometers (17 miles) from where Fico was attacked, would continue to monitor his health. It added that it would provide the latest information.
“Based on the doctors’ examination this morning, we can conclude that the patient is now out of a life-threatening condition,” Milan Urbani, the hospital’s deputy director, told reporters. His condition remains very serious and he will need a long rest to recover. We strongly believe that everything will work out for the better. ”
Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen on Wednesday as he greeted supporters outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital Bratislava. The video shows the Slovak prime minister approaching people gathered at a barricade and extending his hand to shake their hands, when a man steps forward, extends his arm and fires five shots before being tackled and arrested. Ta.
Fico underwent a two-hour surgery on Friday to remove dead tissue from his gunshot wound, but he was not healthy enough to be transferred to the capital, officials said Saturday.
Slovakia’s deputy prime minister slams media over Fico assassination attempt after gunman reportedly confessed to policehttps://t.co/ZeXJ3a4jXs
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 18, 2024
The country’s specialized criminal court in the town of Pezinok on Saturday ordered the alleged perpetrator, who is charged with attempted murder, to be detained. According to a court spokesperson, prosecutors expressed concerns that he could abscond or commit other crimes if released. The suspect can appeal the order.
Little information has been released about the would-be assassins after prosecutors told police not to reveal their identities or release details of the case. Unconfirmed media reports named him as a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard.
Government officials have released details consistent with that description. Although the attack itself was politically motivated, the suspect did not belong to any political group.
Fico said on Facebook last month that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and blamed the media for stirring up tensions in the country of 5.4 million people. did.
In his speech on Sunday, Kalinac also stressed that lessons must be learned from the violent attack on Fico, who has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and abroad. “This must be a memorial. If we don’t learn, we’re going to hell,” he said. “We need to get this situation back to what can be considered normal.”
President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Mr Fico, said on Sunday that Slovakia was a “traumatized country” following the assassination attempt.
“In these difficult times, each of us is deciding whether our actions will heal this wound or make other wounds worse,” he said in a video posted to Facebook. he said.
