Bratislava (Agencies): Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a serious but stable condition following surgery for multiple gunshot wounds. The surgery, which took place on Friday and lasted two hours, involved the removal of dead tissue from Fico’s wounds. Despite an optimistic prognosis for his recovery, Fico was not fit enough to be transferred to a hospital in the capital, Bratislava. Instead, he remains at the University F. D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica, where he was airlifted after the shooting.
Defense Minister Robert Kalinak expressed gratitude for the medical team, stating, “Several miracles have occurred … in the past few days, coming from the hands of the doctors, nurses and entire medical staff. We are steadily approaching that positive prognosis.”
Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen while greeting supporters after a government meeting on Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova. The suspect fired five rounds before being apprehended.
As Fico’s health update was issued, the man accused of the assassination attempt made his first court appearance, according to Slovak state media. Prosecutors are seeking a detention order from Slovakia’s Specialized Criminal Court for the suspect.
While prosecutors have instructed police not to publicly identify the man or release other case details, unconfirmed media reports suggest he is a 71-year-old retiree, known as an amateur poet, who may have previously worked as a mall security guard in the country’s southwest.
Government authorities provided details that matched this description, stating that the suspect did not belong to any political groups, although the attack was politically motivated.