Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was moved to Bratislava on Thursday to continue his recovery after being shot multiple times in an assassination attempt two weeks ago, a spokesperson confirmed.
Fico was attacked on May 15 in Handlova, a central Slovak town, while greeting supporters following a cabinet meeting. The incident, which officials have labeled an assassination attempt, left Fico with multiple gunshot wounds.
After the attack, Fico underwent a five-hour surgery in Banska Bystrica, followed by a second two-hour operation two days later. His condition was managed at the Banska Bystrica hospital until his transfer to Bratislava. The exact hospital in the capital where he will continue his recovery has not been disclosed.
The hospital’s spokesperson, Ruzena Mataseje, informed AFP of Fico’s transfer, while the hospital’s director, Miriam Lapunikova, noted earlier that Fico had expressed a desire to “continue his recovery in home care.”
The alleged shooter, identified by local media as 71-year-old poet and a Ukraine supporter Juraj Cintula, has been charged with premeditated attempted murder and remains in custody.
Fico’s progress has been described as “satisfactory” by the hospital, though Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak cautioned that the prime minister’s recovery would be “extremely long.”
