The health of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is improving after an assassination attempt

On Monday, the government and hospital said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s condition was improving after an assassination attempt earlier this month. The attacker hit Fico with four bullets at close range as the prime minister greeted supporters at a government meeting in Handlová in central Slovakia on May 15.

Fico, 59, was hit in the stomach and was taken to hospital in the regional capital Banská Bystrica in a serious condition. He immediately underwent more than five hours of surgery and another two days later. His condition has been improving since then, FD Roosevelt University Hospital said in its daily updates, and tests conducted on Monday confirmed this.

“Based on the test results, today’s meeting of the medical commission confirmed the gradual improvement in the prime minister’s health condition,” the government said, without providing further details. The attack, the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader in more than 20 years, highlighted deep political divisions in Slovak society.

The police arrested the attacker on the spot. Later, prosecutors charged the man, identified as Juraj C., with premeditated murder, and the court ordered him placed in custody. A 71-year-old man told a court that he wanted to harm, not kill, the Slovak prime minister because he disagreed with government policies and used a gun he had owned for more than 30 years, according to a court document.

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