Slovak Prime Minister’s bodyguards spring into action after he was shot | Watch Video

PTC News Desk: Following a cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova today, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded and taken to the hospital.

Images from the attack’s aftermath depict his bodyguards escorting him into his armored limousine.

According to news agency AFP, the accused gunman has been taken into custody by police, as reported by the Dennik N daily, whose correspondent witnessed the premier being hoisted into a car by security personnel.

⚡️⚡️⚡️ The first minutes after the attack on Robert #Fico – the prime minister's security guards evacuate him to his motorcade while eyewitnesses hold the shooter

According to preliminary information from Slovak media, Fico was shot multiple times. One to the abdomen, one to the… pic.twitter.com/vhcYPPjjlg

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 15, 2024

The Prime Minister was shot many times, according to a post on X by Eastern European media outlet NEXTA, which cited local reports.

“One to the skull, one to the abdomen. “He’s in critical condition,” the post from NEXTA stated. The head of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, criticized Robert Fico’s “vile attack”.

“The despicable attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico is severely condemned by me. Such violent crimes are unacceptable in our society and a threat to democracy, the most valuable common good. I’m thinking of PM Fico and his family,” von der Leyen stated on X.

Zuzana Caputova, the president of Slovakia, denounced the Prime Minister’s “brutal and reckless” attack. I’m taken aback. Calling it “a brutal and reckless attack,” she stated in a statement, “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack.”