Slovakia's PM Robert Fico underwent further surgery, remains in serious condition
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent another operation after being shot in an assassination attempt earlier this week and remains in serious condition, according to the country’s Deputy PM and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák.
Fico, 59, was shot multiple times on Wednesday while greeting supporters after a government meeting in the former coal mining town of Handlová, in an attack that has shocked the nation.
Miriam Lapunikova, director of the Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica -- where Fico was taken by helicopter after he was shot -- said Fico underwent a CT scan and is awake and stable in intensive care.
Despite the fact he is conscious, she described his condition as “very serious”.
She explained that the surgery removed dead tissues that had remained inside Fico's body.
"The attempt on Fico's life was politically motivated", Slovakia's Interior Minister Matuš Šutaj-Eštok said during a news conference on Fico's shooting on Thursday.
Eštok said the suspect, believed to be 71, was a "lone wolf" and did not belong to any political party but had previously taken part in anti-government protests.
Political activities in Slovakia have resumed as normal, with ministers continuing their daily activities.
Earlier on Friday, the man charged with the attempted assassination of Fico was escorted by police to his home, reportedly to search for evidence.
Prosecutors have warned police not to publicly identify the suspect or release other details about the case. The suspect's detention will be reviewed at a hearing on Saturday at Slovakia's Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok, outside the capital, Bratislava.
Local media reports suggested he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet and novelist who may have previously worked as a security guard at a mall in the country’s southwest.
