This is the horrifying infinitesimal the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, was changeable constituent blank successful the tummy and limb by a '71-year-old assassin' who attempted to flee.
Footage circulating connected societal captured the shocking infinitesimal Fico, 59, was attacked crossed a obstruction arsenic helium greeted adoring fans in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, pursuing a Slovak authorities meeting.
As the premier curate shook the hands of waving and cheering citizens, his information unit stood connected defender down him, earlier chaos was unleashed.
An idiosyncratic from wrong the assemblage tin beryllium seen lunging forward, with a weapon successful manus arsenic helium begins shooting successful the absorption of the PM who is retired of the camera frame.
The information scrambled to tackle the man, who is reportedly 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, from Levice, to the crushed portion shoving into the metallic barriers and knocking him to the floor.
Fico was re-elected for the 4th clip past October and has since supported a much pro-Russia position, including astir precocious by pledging to halt subject enactment for Ukraine.
He besides ruffled feathers successful the UK, erstwhile helium said Britain indispensable 'suffer' for Brexit.
The alleged assassin 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, from Levice
Harrowing footage captured the infinitesimal Robert Fico's information officials lunged implicit a obstruction to instrumentality down the shooter
An idiosyncratic from wrong the assemblage tin beryllium seen lunging forward, with a weapon successful manus arsenic helium begins shooting successful the absorption of the PM who is retired of the camera frame
The information scrambled to tackle the man, who is reportedly 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, from Levice, to the crushed portion shoving into the metallic barriers and knocking him to the floor
A achromatic car was seen speeding astir to the country of the onslaught earlier the PM was bundled in
In footage published online by RTV Prievidza the gunman tin beryllium seen waiting astatine a obstruction for the PM to approach.
Despite being flanked by 5 information guards, Cintula the alleged attacker, manages to occurrence disconnected 5 shots earlier being taken down by the PMs detail, it is chartless however galore bullets deed the Prime Minister.
Fico tin beryllium seen stumbling backwards aft the archetypal shot, earlier tripping implicit a seat down him and falling to the ground, arsenic equipped information piles successful from each sides.
Onlookers tin beryllium seen jumping backmost successful fearfulness astatine what they person conscionable witnessed.
The footage cuts to a clip of a achromatic car speeding astir a country down the country of the attack, earlier the premier minister's slumped assemblage is bundled into the backmost of the vehicle.
A witnesser told Slovakian quality tract Dennik, that Fico had near the gathering to greet radical who had gathered to drawback a glimpse of him earlier 'several shots were fired'.
The injured premier curate was airlifted by chopper to a adjacent infirmary aft suffering 3 gunshot wounds - 2 to the limb and 1 to the stomach, reports Aktuality.sk.
The antheral who changeable PM Robert Fico is simply a writer and laminitis subordinate of a literate club, it has emerged.
Juraj Cintula, 71, has besides published respective poems and shocked neighbours person described him and his woman arsenic 'fantastic'.
His lad was quoted arsenic telling section media:' I person nary thought what begetter intended, what helium planned, wherefore it happened. Maybe determination was immoderate abbreviated circuit.
It has besides emerged that successful 2016, portion moving arsenic a information defender successful a supermarket successful Levice wherever helium lives, helium was attacked by a antheral and near severely bruised.
A TV interrogation with Cintula from the clip shows him with a achromatic oculus successful the clip helium said of his attacker:' He was drugged. He started throwing chickens from the shelves onto the ground, past helium started juggling them.'
The antheral past began punching and kicking Cintula earlier constabulary arrived and his attacker was taken away.
Cintula, who was president of the Duha Literary Club until helium near successful 2016 wrote 3 poems which were posted onto the club's Facebook page.
They were called Dream of a Rebel, Diptych and Wasps and helium is besides a subordinate of the Association of Slovak Writers.
Cintula has besides posted respective governmental videos connected YouTube and Facebook.
In 1 from 8 years agone helium said:' The satellite is afloat of unit and weapons. People look to beryllium going crazy,
'A fig of migrants are flowing into Europe, determination is hatred and extremism everywhere. But worst of all, the governments of European states person nary alternate to this chaos. But that's what a idiosyncratic is aft all.'
Robert Fico (pictured centre) being carried distant by information officials into a car aft helium was changeable in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, pursuing a Slovak authorities meeting
The Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico has been 'shot and wounded'
In the video, helium besides said that, unneurotic with different people, was founding an anti unit question successful Levice.
He said:'Every mean idiosyncratic rejects violence. Our extremity is to unite people, sphere bid and reconstruct democracy. It is precise hard due to the fact that nary 1 trusts anyone anymore. The satellite is afloat of chaos and hatred.'
On its Facebook page, which includes Cintula's email, The Movement Against Violence describes itself arsenic a 'emerging governmental enactment whose extremity is to forestall the dispersed of unit successful society. To forestall warfare successful Europe and the dispersed of hatred.'
The past station is from April 2022, a fewer weeks aft the commencement of the warfare successful Ukraine and says:' What Slavic brotherhood? He is lone the aggressor and the attacked.'
In a connection posted aboriginal connected Fico's Facebook page, his unit said helium was changeable a fig of times and was 'currently successful a life-threatening condition'.
They said helium was being transported to Banksa Bystrica arsenic helium needed urgent surgery.
The adjacent fewer hours would beryllium critical, the station said.
The alleged assailant was detained by cops astatine the scene
The gunman is allegedly 71-year-old Juraj C
The attacker was pushed to the crushed and handcuffed
Robert Fico is successful 'life threatening condition' according to a connection posted to his Facebook pursuing the attack
According to The Herald, an oculus witnesser who had been waiting to greet the PM said: 'I was conscionable going to shingle his hand, erstwhile the shots rang retired it astir deafened me'.
It was besides reported that idiosyncratic from wrong the assemblage yelled 'Robo, travel here' earlier the shooting began.
The alleged assailant was nabbed by cops connected site, who past cordoned disconnected the country and the House of Culture was evacuated.
The alleged 71-year-old was seen connected the crushed with his hands cuffed down his back, his look bloody aft seemingly hitting the floor.
Who is Robert Fico?
Robert Fico, 59, is the existent Prime Minister of Slovakia, having served since September 2023.
He antecedently served from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.
Fico was forced to measurement down arsenic premier curate pursuing the execution of investigative writer Jan Kuciak successful 2018.
He founded the Direction - Social Democracy (Smer) enactment successful 1999 and has led the enactment since its foundation.
He holds a grounds arsenic the longest-serving premier curate successful the country's history, having served for a full of implicit 10 years.
Images from outside Banksa Bystrica amusement the PM being wheeled into the infirmary surrounded by astatine slightest 7 rescue workers, portion covered successful a achromatic sheet.
According to a section study from Digi24, a Romanian quality TV channel, Fico was deed by astatine slightest 2 bullets, earlier the Slovak Ministry of the Interior confirmed it was an assassination attempt.
A 66-year-old nonmigratory who had been lining up to spot the PM spoke to a section quality outlet astir the tragic and terrifying incident.
'We went to shingle manus to mister Fico, I was taking pictures of him erstwhile helium walked retired of the building, we were waiting for agelong time, we were excited, we wanted to shingle his hand, adjacent 1 antheral adjacent to me, and astatine this infinitesimal we heard thing similar a petard, we thought idiosyncratic made a gag and threw a firecracker connected the ground, that was my archetypal reaction,' she said.
'I heard 3 shots, it was speedy 1 by 1 similar if you propulsion a firecracker connected the ground,' she added.
When asked by a writer if she had seen his injuries, she responded: 'Yes I saw a scratch connected a caput and past helium fell adjacent to the barrier.
'I deliberation it is simply a nightmare, I'll archer you I deliberation I volition not aftermath up from this. That this is not imaginable to hap successful Slovakia.'
Following the daze attack, Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia's president-elect and an state of Robert Fico, has said that 'an assassination effort connected the Prime Minister is simply a menace to everything that has adorned Slovak ideology truthful far.'
'I americium horrified by wherever the hatred towards different governmental sentiment tin lead.
'We don't person to hold connected everything, but determination are plentifulness of ways to explicit our disagreement democratically and legally,' helium added.
The caput of the wide governmental enactment Progressive Slovakia, Michala Šimeček, said:' We unequivocally and powerfully condemn immoderate violence. We spot that Prime Minister Fico volition beryllium good and that this unspeakable enactment volition beryllium brought to airy arsenic soon arsenic possible.'
Fico has been serving arsenic the PM of Slovakia since September 2023, having returned to powerfulness aft serving antecedently from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018.
During his tally successful 2016, the person commented connected Brexit saying it was unclear what the United Kingdom wanted, adding that it 'must suffer' much than the 27 countries who volition stay successful the bloc.
The PM was changeable successful Handlova, north-east of Bratislava
The premier curate was airlifted to a adjacent infirmary aft suffering gunshot wounds to the limb and stomach
Rescue workers instrumentality Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was changeable and injured, to a infirmary successful the municipality of Banska Bystrica, cardinal Slovakia. He is pictured covered successful a achromatic sheet
Robert Fico pictured speaking with radical earlier the cabinet's away-from-home league successful the municipality of Handlova, Slovakia
It is not presently known what the shooter's motives were down the attack
Czech PM, Petr Fiala said: 'We indispensable not tolerate violence, it indispensable person nary spot successful society'
Law enforcement arrives astatine the country of the weapon onslaught which saw the premier curate shot
Following Wednesday's shooting, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova condemned 'a brutal and ruthless' onslaught connected the premier.
'I'm shocked,' Ms Caputova said.
'I privation Robert Fico a batch of spot successful this captious infinitesimal and a speedy betterment from this attack.'
Law enforcement has arrived astatine the country of the weapon onslaught arsenic they transportation retired investigations into the disaster.
Deputy talker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incidental during a league of Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR quality bureau said.
Czech PM, Petr Fiala, has responded to the onslaught connected X, formerly Twitter, posting: 'The quality astir the shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is shocking.
'I privation the premier curate to get good arsenic soon arsenic possible. We indispensable not tolerate violence, it indispensable person nary spot successful society.'
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has besides shared a connection to X, relaying his daze pursuing the weapon attack.
'Shocked to perceive this atrocious news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family,' helium wrote.
Ukraine's PM, Volodymyr Zelensky said: 'The onslaught connected Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling.
'We powerfully condemn this enactment of unit against our neighboring spouse state's caput of government. Every effort should beryllium made to guarantee that unit does not go the norm successful immoderate country, form, oregon sphere.
'We sincerely anticipation Robert Fico recovers soon and explicit our solidarity with the radical of Slovakia'.
There is allegedly nary accusation astir the shooter's motives astatine this time.
Fico's renewed enactment arsenic premier curate got disconnected to a rocky commencement aft helium halted subject assistance to Ukraine successful January, and conscionable past period helium pushed done plans to crap nationalist broadcaster RTVS.
Parliament was sitting astatine the clip of the onslaught and section Slovak media reported that a enactment workfellow of Fico's shouted astatine absorption MPs, accusing them of inciting the attack.
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