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- Suspect Charged
- What to Know
- Prime Minister Attacked
- Who Is Robert Fico?
- Video
- Slovakia’s Toxic Politics
The authorities have released little about the attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico, about the identity of the assailant or even about who is leading the country in the interim.
May 17, 2024, 6:40 a.m. ET
Questions were swirling in Slovakia on Friday, as shock over the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico began to give way to trepidation over what comes next for the deeply polarized country.
The authorities have kept details about the attack, the assailant and even who is leading the country while the prime minister is hospitalized to a minimum. Officials say they will provide more information soon but that the situation is sensitive.
They have not named the suspect — whom Slovakia’s interior minister described as a “lone wolf” radicalized after last month’s presidential election — nor said when he will appear in court to face a charge of attempted premeditated murder. They have called the shooting politically motivated, while urging the public and politicians to dial down political rhetoric and hatred as investigations play out.
Local media reported on Friday that police officers escorted the suspect to his home in the central Slovak town of Levice, where they searched the premises and seized documents. The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Details of Mr. Fico’s injuries and condition also have been closely guarded. Local news outlets reported that doctors will meet Monday to determine whether the prime minister can be moved to the capital, Bratislava, from the intensive care unit of a hospital in central Slovakia where he underwent surgery.
On Thursday, the deputy prime minister, Robert Kalinak, told a news conference that Mr. Fico’s condition had stabilized but that he was “not out of a life-threatening situation” and faced a “difficult” recovery.
