Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was injured in an attack on Wednesday, according to the country’s president.
Local media reported that Mr. Fico had been shot and wounded in the town of Handlova, where he had been meeting with supporters.
President Zuzana Caputova condemned what she described as a “brutal and reckless attack.”
“I am shocked,” she wrote in a message on Facebook. “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack.”
The extent of Mr. Fico’s injuries was not immediately known. There was no immediate comment from the prime minister’s office or from the police.
Mr. Fico is a veteran politician who has aligned with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary in opposing aid to Ukraine and challenging mainstream opinions within the European Union.
Mr. Fico, who ended an earlier stint as prime minister by resigning in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption accusations, has also followed Mr. Orban in trying to neuter the judiciary and in casting supporters of Ukraine as disloyal lackeys of the United States.
He returned to power after a general election in September, reviving a political career that many had considered over when he quit amid large street protests after the killing of an investigative journalist who had been looking into government graft.
