Thursday Briefing: Slovakia’s Leader Was Shot

Security officers moved Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the shooting.Credit…Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters

Shooting left Slovakia’s leader in ‘life-threatening’ condition

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, was shot five times and critically wounded yesterday. Officials said the attack appeared to be an assassination attempt and was politically motivated. Police said a suspect had been detained.

The interior minister said Fico was still in surgery hours after the shooting and remained in critical condition. Here’s the latest.

Videos from the scene showed the gunman shooting Fico in Banikov Square, in the center of the town of Handlova. The attacker is seen standing with other people behind a barrier before shooting Fico at close range when he came to greet them.

Who is Robert Fico? The 59-year-old politician is serving his third term. He has aligned with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, in opposing aid to Ukraine, and has strong ties to Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin.