Slovak prime minister Robert Fico shot in assassination attempt

Slovak prime minister Robert Fico has been seriously wounded in a shooting in Handlova, according to local media. His injuries are life-threatening.

The Slovak government has confirmed that Fico was the victim of an attack. "He is currently being flown by helicopter to Banska Bystrica," a town in central Slovakia, the government said in a statement.

Fico was taken to hospital while the alleged assailant was arrested by police. The suspect is said to be a 71-year-old man from the Slovakian town of Levice, according to Slovakian broadcaster TV YOY, but this has not yet been confirmed by the authorities.

Eyewitnesses, including journalists, reported hearing several shots. According to a statement on the prime minister's social media pages, Fico was "shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition".

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen strongly condemned the attack. "Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good," she said on X.

"The attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico is an attack on democracy," said Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo on X. "There is no justification for this kind of violence," he said, wishing his colleague a speedy recovery.

Other leaders, including NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Zelenski, have also condemned the attack on X.

^{Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico is carried by paramedics from a helicopter to a hospital in Banska Bystrica © AFP}