UPDATE, May 15, 2024 (10:19 a.m. EST):
An update posted to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Facebook page confirmed he was “shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition.”
His assailant is in police custody. Denník N, a Slovak daily, reported that the suspect is a man in his 70s from the town of Levice who legally possessed a gun.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
An unidentified assailant shot Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico this morning after he left a government meeting in the town of Handlová. Fico was greeting supporters when gunfire rang out. According to the BBC, witnesses heard three or four shots. Fico fell to the ground with apparent wounds to his chest and head.
He is currently undergoing medical treatment after being airlifted to a hospital in Banská Bystrica.
The prime minister won election last September after running a campaign to stop military support to Ukraine. His government has firmly declined to join the Western coalition that is providing military assistance to Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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