President-elect and Fico ally Peter Pellegrini said he was “horrified” to hear that Fico was “the target of an assassination attempt”.
“I am horrified at where hatred for a different political opinion can lead. We don’t have to agree with everything, but there are many ways to express your disagreement democratically and legally,” he said.
He added that different political opinions should be expressed in polling stations and not with guns.
Where the attack took place
Slovak PM Robert Fico was greeting people in front of a cultural community centre in the central town of Handlova in Slovkia when several shots were fired from a crowd, reports say.
Handlova is around 180km (112 miles) north-east of the capital Bratislava.
Local reports say he was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital before he was later flown to another hospital in Banska Bystrica, east of Handlova.
An update was just posted on Robert Fico’s Facebook page.
It says the Slovak PM was “shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition” and that he is being transported by helicopter to the nearby town of Banská Bystrica.
World leaders condemn shooting of Slovak PM
International reaction is pouring in after the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot. He has been taken to hospital and his injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemns what she calls a “vile attack” on Fico.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says he is “profoundly shocked” by the news of the shooting, and says the perpetrators must be held accountable.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says the shooting is “shocking” and wishes Fico as quick recovery.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orabn says he is “deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico”.
Slovakian President shocked by ‘brutal’ shooting
Slovakia’s outgoing president Zuzana Caputova says she is shocked by the “brutal and ruthless” attack on the prime minister.
“I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack,” she says in a statement.
A Slovak interior ministry spokesman confirms that an assassination attempt was carried out on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The spokesman gives no details of the PM’s condition.
Who is Robert Fico?
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to power after elections last September, at the head of a populist-nationalist coalition.
He leads the populist Smer-SSD party and won the vote last October with pledges to halt military aid to Ukraine, but denied being pro-Russian.
Fico was forced to step down as prime minister following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018.
“If Smer enters government, we will not send a single round of ammunition to Ukraine,” Fico told supporters during his campaign.
This, as well as his pledge to resist Western sanctions on Russia, caused some onlookers to compare Fico to Hungary’s populist right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
In pictures: Suspect detained after Slovak PM shot
Slovak PM Robert Fico was shot in front of a cultural community centre in the town of Handlova, where a government meeting had been held, reports say.
A video showed several men rushing to detain the suspect just outside the cultural centre in Handlova. The BBC has not yet verified the footage.
Helicopter dispatched to shooting incident
Slovak’s emergency services dispatched a helicopter to a 59-year-old man in Handlova after receiving information that he was shot, it posted on social media.
“The action is still under way”, the emergency service says.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, 59, was initially bundled into a car by his security team, and local reports say he was then airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital.
No news of Slovak PM’s condition after shooting
Reports in Slovak media say the prime minister Robert Fico has been taken to hospital after being shot.
Denník N newspaper reported that Fico was leaving a government meeting in the central town of Handlova when several shots were fired from a crowd.
An eyewitness said he had fallen to the ground and was then loaded into a vehicle and taken away.
There is no news of his condition.
Suspect reported to have been detained after Slovak PM shot
As we’ve reported, media outlets say Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has been injured in a shooting and taken to hospital.
The incident is reported to have happened in the town of Handlova, around 180km (118 miles) northeast of Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, according to local news television station TA3.
Slovak news agency TASR cited parliament’s vice-chairman Lubos Blaha as saying Fico was shot and injured.
A suspect has reportedly been detained.
Slovak PM shooting: What to know so far
Details are still emerging about the incident in Slovakia, where Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot a number of times this afternoon. Here is what we know so far:
- He was shot and wounded as he was leaving a government meeting in the central town of HandlovaOfficials say he is in a life-threatening condition and he is receiving treatment in hospitalAs Fico greeted crowds in front of a cultural community centre where a government meeting had been held, several shots were heard before his security detail bundled him into a nearby carLocal reports say Fico was shot in the abdomen, arm, and leg. Pictures show police detaining a suspectHe was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital before he was later flown to another hospital in Banska Bystrica, east of Handlova, reports say