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SLOVAKIA’S pro-Putin prime minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was gunned down in a brazen assassination attempt.
Horrifying footage captured the moment the politician, 59, was shot at five times by an alleged 71-year-old attacker.
Slovakian PM Robert Fico was shot multiple times outside a government meeting with his condition being described as ‘extraordinarily serious’The moment the PM was shot at five times
The suspected shooter was wrestled to the ground by bystanders and security guards
One bullet hit Fico in his abdomen with the country’s defence minister Robert Kalinak saying his condition is “extraordinarily serious” earlier today.
Kalinak said the PM was suffering from”serious trauma” and that the “situation is bad,” as he underwent three-hour emergency surgery.
Fico is still said to be battling for his life in hospital but he is expected to survive his injuries, according to Slovakia’s deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba.
Taraba said: “Fortunately as far as I know the operation went well – and I guess in the end he will survive.
He’s not in a life threatening situation at this moment.”
The terrifying video caught the moment the shots rang out as people screamed and Fico’s bodyguards leapt over the barriers to pin the shooter down.
Moments later the suspected assassin was filmed being overpowered and detained by security forces and bystanders.
Slovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova condemned the “brutal and ruthless” attack, calling the shooting on her political partner an “attack on democracy”.
Slovakian interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok labelled the shocking event as the “saddest moment” in Slovakia‘s 31-year history.
He echoed the president’s thoughts saying: “An attack on Slovakia is an attack on democracy, on the state itself.”
The incident took place in the town of Handlova, some 100 miles northeast of the capital of Bratislava, where the pro-Russian PM had come to meet with supporters.
Local media has identified the suspect as Juraj C, a 71-year-old Slovakian from the town of Lavice.
Footage then showed Fico being carried and then bungled into a car, flanked by his bodyguards, and driven away at speed.
After receiving “urgent” treatment in Handlova, the PM was then airlifted to Banska Bystrica as it would take “too long” to get to the capital, a statement from his office said.
The motive behind the shooting is not yet known.
A witness told news outlet Dennik N that she heard three to four shots and saw Fico fall to the ground with wounds to his head and chest.
President Zuzana Caputova has condemned the “brutal and ruthless” attack on the premier.
“Police have detained the attacker and as soon as possible will give more information,” she added, calling the shooting on her political opponent an “attack on democracy”.
