Bratislava, May 16 (UNI) A man has been charged with the attempted murder of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico after the politician was seriously injured in a shooting attack, media reports said Thursday.
The alleged assailant has not been formally named, but Slovak reports have widely identified him as a 71-year-old from the town of Levice, a report by BBC said.
The alleged attacker can face up to life in prison, it added.
The 59-year-old Fico was in stable condition after a surgery. He was shot several times in what colleagues described as a politically motivated attack.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told a news conference on Thursday that the suspect had acted alone and that he had previously taken part in anti-government protests.
“This is a lone wolf whose actions were accelerated after the presidential election since he was dissatisfied with its outcome,” he said.
Peter Pellegrini, a populist and ally of Robert Fico, won April’s vote.
It was in broad daylight on Wednesday that Fico, surrounded by a crowd of supporters, was shot at close range. The gunman fired five times, hitting the prime minister in the stomach and arm.
On Thursday, Fico’s condition was stable, but “truly very serious”, and he was moved to an intensive care unit after surgery, the hospital said.
