A suspect has been taken into custody Wednesday after Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting.
The shooting happened in Handlova, about 90 miles northeast of the capital of Bratislava.
“Utterly shocked by today’s brutal attack on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, which I condemn in strongest possible terms,” Slovakia President Zuzana Čaputová wrote on X.
“I wish him [a] lot of strength in this critical moment and early recovery. My thoughts are also with his family and close ones,” she added.
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A person is detained following the shooting of Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico in Handlova, on Wednesday, May 15. (Reuters/Radovan Stoklasa)
Deputy speaker of parliament Lubos Blaha confirmed the incident during a session of Parliament and adjourned it until further notice, the Slovak TASR news agency said.
The incident took place in front of the local House of Culture, where Fico came to meet with supporters. Police sealed off the scene.
A person is seen being taken into custody Wednesday at the scene of the shooting in Handlova, Slovakia. (Reuters/Radovan Stoklasa)
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Images taken from the area showed a male individual being detained by authorities and Fico being rushed into a vehicle.
The motive for the shooting is unclear.
The Government Office of the Slovak Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Chairman of SMER-Social Democracy party Robert Fico arrives at his party’s headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia, in October 2023. (AP/Petr David Josek)
Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million people that shares a border with Ukraine, has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia invaded in February 2022, donating arms and opening its borders for refugees fleeing the war.
But Fico has stopped military aid. He also opposes European Union sanctions on Russia and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO, according to The Associated Press.
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Fico’s government won a mandatory confidence vote in Parliament in November last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
