"The suspect is a 71-year-old writer"
On the 15th (local time), Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Picho, who was critically injured by gunfire and transferred to the hospital, is not in a life-threatening condition, the Slovak government announced.
Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba said in an interview with the British BBC on the same day, "As far as I know, the surgery went well, and I believe he will ultimately survive."
Local media Aktuality also reported, citing anonymous sources, that Prime Minister Picho's surgery has ended and he is in a stable condition.
According to the Slovak government, Prime Minister Picho was shot five times in the abdomen and chest around 2:30 p.m. that day in a suburb of the capital Bratislava after holding a cabinet meeting and was transported to the hospital.
The paramedics transferred Prime Minister Picho to a hospital in the nearby city of Banska Bystrica, where emergency surgery was performed for about four hours. According to Russian Sputnik news agency citing Slovak broadcaster TA3, he is currently being treated in an induced coma for 24 hours following the surgery.
The suspect was apprehended at the scene.
Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok stated that the suspect arrested on charges of shooting Prime Minister Picho is a 71-year-old writer. Minister Estok previously said in a briefing that there is a political motive behind this assassination attempt.
The suspect's son told Slovak media, "I have no idea what my father was thinking, what plans he had, or why this happened."
AFP reported that the suspect expressed concerns about immigration, hatred, and extremism in a video posted online eight years ago, criticized European governments, and founded an organization called the "Anti-Violence Movement" in the Leviche region.
Prime Minister Picho has served as prime minister three times. After his first term from 2006 to 2010, he was in power from 2012 to 2018. He returned to the prime minister position after winning the general election last October, riding on pro-Russian sentiment opposing support for Ukraine.
Recently, protests against government policies have been held weekly in the Slovak capital Bratislava. The Slovak opposition is known to be leading the protests, claiming that the government led by Prime Minister Picho controls public media.
Slovak President Zuzana Kaputova issued a statement condemning the "cruel and ruthless attack" and wishing for Prime Minister Picho's speedy recovery. Considering the gravity of the incident, the Slovak parliament plans to adjourn.
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