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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s condition was stable but serious Saturday as the man accused of trying to assassinate him faced his first court appearance.
Surgery that took two hours Friday to remove dead tissue from Fico’s multiple gunshot wounds led to an optimistic outlook for his recovery, but he was not healthy enough to travel to a hospital in the capital, Bratislava, government ministers said outside University F. D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystric, where Fico was taken by helicopter after the shooting.
“Several miracles have occurred … in the past few days, coming from the hands of the doctors, nurses and entire medical staff,” Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said. “I can’t find words of gratitude for the fact that we are steadily approaching that positive prognosis.”
Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters following a government meeting Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova, officials said. The suspect fired five rounds before being tackled to the ground and arrested.
Prosecutors were seeking an order from Slovakia’s Specialized Criminal Court to detain the suspect.
Prosecutors told police not to publicly identify the man or release other details about the case, but unconfirmed media reports said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard in the country’s southwest.
Government authorities gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn’t belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated.
The courthouse in Pezinok, a small town outside the capital, Bratislava, was guarded by police wearing helmets and balaclavas and carrying rifles. News media were not allowed in and reporters were kept behind a gate outside.
Police on Friday took the suspect to his home in the town of Levice and seized a computer and some documents, Markiza, a Slovak television station reported. Police didn’t comment.
With police remaining largely silent about the case, it was not clear how the suspect came to possess a firearm.
Slovakia has strict rules on firearms and gun owners must have a good reason to possess one and are required to pass a test.
As a consequence, Slovakia has one of the lowest gun ownership rates in Europe. It was ranked 23rd out of 27 European Union countries with a gun ownership rate of 6.5 per 100 people, according to the Association of Accredited Public Policy Advocates to the EU.
World leaders have condemned the attack and offered support for Fico and Slovakia.
