Pro-Russian Slovakia PM’s assassination attempt ‘politically motivated’, government claims

Slovakia’s pro-Russia prime minister Robert Fico was on Wednesday night fighting for life after he was shot in a “politically motivated” assassination attempt.

Doctors were operating on the populist leader several hours after a gunman fired at least four times at him as he met supporters in the western town of Handlova.

Robert Kalinak, the Slovakian defence minister, described Mr Fico’s condition as “extremely serious”, with at least one bullet hitting him in the abdomen.

“I would like to thank all the emergency services and doctors […] who at this moment are still fighting for the life of the prime minister,” he said. “His situation is bad.”

Slovakia’s deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC he believed Mr Fico “will survive” and is no longer in a life-threatening situation.

“I was very shocked ... fortunately as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive ... he’s not in a life threatening situation at this moment,” he told BBC’s Newshour late on Wednesday.

The suspect, who witnesses said called for Mr Fico’s attention before opening fire at close range, was last night in police custody after being tackled by the prime minister’s security detail.

He was named as Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old government critic and poet from the western town of Levice, who was reported to have owned the gun legally.

Matus Sutaj Estok, the interior minister, said an initial investigation showed there was a “clear political motivation” behind the attempted assassination.

He said the suspect conceived of the plot in the wake of Mr Fico’s re-election to a third term last year.

In a video shared on social media apparently after his detention, Mr Cintula said he “did not agree with government policy”.

The leader of the Left-wing nationalist Direction-Social Democracy party (Smer), Mr Fico campaigned for office on a nationalist platform of ending weapons deliveries to Ukraine and focusing on the needs of citizens impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

In office, the 59-year-old has hit out at EU sanctions on Russia and halted all arms deliveries to Ukraine, earning praise from the Kremlin.

Describing the shooting as a “monstrous” crime, Vladimir Putin said in a telegram to Slovakia’s president: “I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation.”

World leaders were united in condemnation of the attack, with Joe Biden offering American help as it grappled with what he called an “horrific act of violence”.

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said he was “shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family”.

Smer politicians pointed the finger of blame at progressive journalists for stoking hatred against a prime minister known for his love of bodybuilding, fast cars, and football, and hatred of migrants and Covid regulations.

Lubos Blaha, the deputy parliament speaker and a close ally of Mr Fico, blamed what he called the “liberal media” and Slovakia’s political opposition for creating an atmosphere that led to the shooting.

Mr Sutaj Estok also claimed the media were to blame. He criticised reporters for “sowing this hatred” and abdicating their “social responsibility”. They must “stop this hate”, he added.

General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka vowed that law enforcement would be uncompromising in pursuing justice and punishment for the attacker.

“It is the culmination of those sentiments that are nurtured in society. It is a manifestation of hatred, a manifestation of an attack not only on a person, but also as an attack on the prime minister, as well as an attack on the very essence of statehood,” he said on social media.

Mr Fico, 59, was greeting a crowd in Handlova after a government meeting when the attacker opened fire.

A voice was heard shouting “Robo come here” to the prime minister from the crowd of about 50 onlookers outside a cultural centre before several shots rang out at about 2.50pm local time.

“He shouted at him to come closer, he lured him to him and pulled out a gun,” said one witness.

“When the shots rang out, I almost became deaf,” a woman at the scene added.

Elected for fourth time

Footage of the shooting showed the prime minister doubling over as he was hit, slumping into a flower bed with his back to the metal railing separating him from the public.

As his security detail and police enter the crowd, Mr Fico is carried, bent double, to a car by two of his guards, while the others flank them on their guard for further attacks.

The camera pans round to show two policemen on top of what appears to be the suspect on the ground. Mr Fico’s car then races off at speed.

Mr Fico, who was elected for a fourth stint as prime minister in October after running a campaign promising to end support for Ukraine, was flown by helicopter to Banska Bystrica Hospital from Handlova, which is 93 miles from the capital Bratislava.

Footage showed the prime minister being rushed into the hospital on a stretcher. A message posted on Mr Fico’s Facebook account said his condition was “life-threatening”.

“The next few hours will decide,” it said, explaining he was taken to Banska Bystrica Hospital, 63 miles away from Handlova because it would take too long to get to Bratislava for emergency surgery.

Mobile phones confiscated

Before Mr Fico was taken into the operating room, medical staff at the hospital had their mobile phones confiscated to ensure a news blackout around the surgery.

This is the first assassination attempt on a senior politician in the modern history of Slovakia, which separated from the Czech Republic on Jan 1 1993.

However, government officials have faced intensifying death threats since the war in Ukraine.

Until the Left-wing populist’s election, Slovakia was one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters. However, Mr Fico has railed against EU sanctions on the Kremlin and opposed sending weapons to Ukraine.

His victory was seen as a blow to pro-Western forces and a boon to leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who has also criticised sanctions for harming the economy.

Mr Fico has refused to join a Czech-led coalition of EU states buying ammunition for Kyiv. He campaigned on a promise not to send “one more round” to Ukraine from Slovakia, where there is deep distrust of Nato.

‘Ukraine should be blamed’

Margarita Simonyan, the editor of Kremlin propaganda channel RT, said that Ukraine should be blamed for the assassination attempt.

That would suit Moscow, but there is no serious suggestion that Kyiv is responsible for an attack on the leader of a Nato and EU member state, which are two organisations Ukraine wants to join.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, condemned the attack as “appalling”.

“We sincerely hope Robert Fico recovers soon and express our solidarity with the people of Slovakia,” he said.

Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia’s president-elect and a close ally of Mr Fico, called the assassination attempt “a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far”.

Mr Fico led the ruling Smer party in 1999 and has led it ever since. He holds the record for the longest serving prime minister in Slovak history.

09:42 PM BST

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The key developments were:

• Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico was rushed to hospital after being shot multiple times

• Slovak media said the shooter is a 71-year-old man

• Mr Fico has undergone at least three-and-a-half hours of surgery

• Matúš Šutaj-Eštok, the Slovakian interior minister, claimed the media were to blame for the assassination attempt, criticising reporters for “sowing this hatred”

08:46 PM BST

Slovakian prime minister fighting for his life after assassination attempt

Robert Fico, Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister, is fighting for his life after being shot by a would-be assassin.

The pro-Russian firebrand, 59, was hit in the hand, stomach and leg as we went to greet a crowd in the Western Slovakian town of Handlova after a government meeting.

A voice was heard shouting “Robo come here” to the prime minister from the crowd of about 50 onlookers outside a cultural centre before four shots rang out at about 2.50pm local time.

“He shouted at him to come closer, he lured him to him and pulled out a gun,” said one witness.

Read the story so far from James Crisp, our Europe Editor, here.

08:31 PM BST

Fico ally: Media has spread hatred

Another ally of Robert Fico has launched an attack on the media, claiming they spread the “hatred” that prompted the assassination attempt.

“I want to sharply condemn what happened today in Handlova and at the same time express heavy disgust over what you have committed here in the past years,” Lubos Blaha, a deputy chairman of Mr Fico’s party, said.

“You, liberal media and political opposition - what hatred you spread against Robert Fico.”

08:26 PM BST

Pictured: Police scour crime scene hours after shooting

07:53 PM BST

Slovakian minister: Media to blame

Matúš Šutaj-Eštok, the Slovakian interior minister, claimed the media were to blame for the assassination attempt on Robert Fico.

He criticised reporters for “sowing this hatred” and abdicating their “social responsibility”. They must “stop this hate”, he added.

07:48 PM BST

‘No one wants a Slovakia like this’

Robert Kalinak, Slovakia’s defence minister, said he could not find the words to describe the “madness” of the assassination attempt.

“No one wants a Slovakia like this,” he added, calling for people to “reflect” on what took place.

07:17 PM BST

‘Social media hate’ blamed for attack

Mr Estok has appealed to Slovakians in the aftermath of the shooting, saying: “We cant respond to hate with hate.”

Hate towards politicians and their parties must stop, he said, adding that protection will now be offered to all officials.

“What has started now was sown by many of you, by your hate,” he said, referring to social media users.

07:14 PM BST

Police say attacker was politically motivated

Matúš Šutaj-Eštok, the Slovakian interior minister, said: “The initial information that we have clearly points to a political motivation and a decision by the perpetrator shortly after the presidential election.

“The perpetrator shot five times and the prime minister is in critical condition,” he said.

“An attack on the prime minister is an attack on democracy”

07:07 PM BST

Surgery has been going on for three-and-a-half hours

The police have revealed that Robert Fico is still undergoing surgery, which has now been going on for three-and-a-half hours.

“The situation is really complicated,” Mr Kalinak said.

07:06 PM BST

Defence minister thanks doctors

Robert Kalinak, from the Ministry of Defence, has thanked emergency workers who are involved in efforts to save Robert Fico.

“Slovakia has never before been confronted with a situation like this,” he said.

“I would like to thank all the emergency services and doctors [..] who at this moment are still fighting for the life of the prime minister.

“His situation is bad, and we all pray that the strong bodily constitution of our prime minister will lead to good news.”

06:49 PM BST

Watch: Fico frantically evacuated from the scene

In footage of the aftermath of the shooting, a suited Mr Fico is seen being picked up from a flower-bed by four bodyguards, his back to the metal railing separating him from the public.

As armed security and police enter the crowd, Mr Fico is carried, bent double, to a car by two of his guards, while the others flank them.

The camera pans round to show two policemen on top of what appears to be another person on the ground,  The railing is pulled back so Mr Fico’s car can pass, which it does at speed.

06:37 PM BST

Slovakia’s president confirms suspect has been detained

Zuzana Caputova, Slovakia’s president, has confirmed that police have detained the attacker, already identified locally as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, promising that officials will provide more information “as soon as possible”.

She had earlier condemned the attack as “brutal and ruthless”.

06:28 PM BST

EU chief: ‘Violence undermines democracy’

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the assassination attempt against Robert Fico.

“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family,” she said.

06:17 PM BST

Fico ally blames ‘liberal media’ for creating conditions that led to attack

Robert Fico’s close ally Lubos Blaha, deputy parliament speaker and deputy chairman of the prime minister’s Smer party, blamed what he called the “liberal media” and the opposition for creating an atmosphere that led to the shooting.

“For Smer, I want to sharply condemn what happened today in Handlova and at the same time express heavy disgust over what you have committed here in the past years,” Mr Blaha said. “You, liberal media and political opposition. What hatred you spread against Robert Fico.”

Slovakia’s biggest opposition party Progressive Slovakia called off a protest against government public broadcaster reforms that had been set for Wednesday evening.

“We call on all politicians to refrain from any expressions and steps that could contribute to an escalation of tension,” said Michal Simecka, leader of Progressive Slovakia, a liberal pro-Western party.

06:08 PM BST

Pictured: Police cordon off hospital where Fico is being treated

05:59 PM BST

Mobile phones ‘confiscated’ at emergency ward treating Fico

Before Prime Minister Fico was taken into the operating room, medical staff at the hospital had their mobile phones confiscated to ensure a news blackout around the surgery, according to Slovakian television channel Markíza.

Mr Fico has undergone a CT scan, the broadcaster reported.

According to Slovakian daily newspaper Denník N, Mr Fico is still in the operating room.

05:51 PM BST

Biden ‘alarmed’ by assassination attempt against Fico

Joe Biden, the US President, has reacted to the shooting.

“I am alarmed to hear reports of an attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. We condemn this horrific act of violence,” he said.

“Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.”

05:39 PM BST

High-profile shootings in Slovakia

Wednesday’s attack on Robert Fico is the latest in a string of shooting incidents Slovakia has suffered in recent years.

In 2022, two people were killed in a shootout outside an LGBT venue in central Bratislava.

In 2018, the killing of Ján Kuciak, a Slovakian investigative journalist, and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, shocked the country, sparking mass popular protests and a political crisis that led to Mr Fico’s resignation as prime minister.

05:24 PM BST

Nato chief Stoltenberg hopes for speedy recovery

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said he was “shocked and appalled by the shooting” of Robert Fico on Wednesday.

“I wish him strength for a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with Robert Fico, his loved ones, and the people of Slovakia,” Mr Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter.

05:17 PM BST

Eyewitness describes ‘nightmare’ shooting

An eyewitness who was at the scene where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot said it felt like a “nightmare” after hearing the gunman unleash a hail of bullets.

“I heard three shots, it was quick one by one like if you throw a firecracker on the ground,” eyewitness Lubica Valkovasaid.

“I think it is a nightmare, I’ll tell you I think I will not wake up from this,” the 66-year-old told Reuters. “That this is not possible to happen in Slovakia.”

05:10 PM BST

Putin: ‘Monstrous crime can have no justification’

Vladimir Putin has reacted to the attack on Robert Fico.

“There can be no justification for this monstrous crime. I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation,” he said.

“ I kindly request to convey to Prime Minister Fico the sincerest words of support, as well as wishes for a swift and full recovery,” he said in a telegram to Slovak president Zuzana Caputova.

04:58 PM BST

Slovakia’s interior ministry warns over calls for retaliation

The Slovakian interior ministry has warned that Wednesday’s shooting has sparked a wave of calls for retaliation.

“In connection with this event, a lot of information and calls for retaliation and escalation of violence have begun to spread in the information space,” it said through a Facebook page set up to counter disinformation and fake news.

“We appeal to citizens to exercise restraint, not spread unverified information or support hatred and calls for violence.”

04:52 PM BST

Attacker must be punished, says Russian ambassador

The Russian ambassador to Slovakia has condemned the shooting of Robert Fico on Wednesday.

“I strongly condemn this act of violence and express my conviction of the necessity of punishment for the perpetrators,” Igor Bratchikov said in a letter to Fico published by the Russian embassy.

04:47 PM BST

Germany’s Scholz condemns ‘cowardly attack’

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, has condemned the attack on Robert Fico, calling it “cowardly”.

“Violence must not be existant in European politics,” he said.

04:40 PM BST

How Robert Fico turned Slovakia into one of Russia’s only allies

Robert Fico, the Slovakian prime minister who was shot on Wednesday, has presided over a shift from pro-Western values to growing sympathies with Russia since his election victory last September, writes James Rothwell.

The Left-wing populist has steered his Smer (Direction-Social Democracy) party strongly against military support for Ukraine, vowing in a pre-election interview with The Telegraph last year that he would cut arms supplies to Kyiv altogether.

“It is better to negotiate peace for 10 years and stop military operations than to let the Ukrainians and Russians kill each other for another 10 years without results,” he said.

Read more here.

04:37 PM BST

Pictured: Paramedics wheel Fico into hospital

04:27 PM BST

Suspected Fico attacker named as 71-year-old Slovakian man

Mr Fico’s suspected attacker has been named in the media as Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old man from Levice, a town in western Slovakia.

He is alleged to have owned the gun used in the shooting legally and is under arrest.

This is the first assassination attempt on a senior politician in the modern history of Slovakia, which separated from the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993.

However, government officials have faced intensifying death threats since the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the Coronavirus pandemic.

General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka vowed that law enforcement would be uncompromising in pursuing justice and punishment for the attacker.

“It is the culmination of those sentiments that are nurtured in society. It is a manifestation of hatred, a manifestation of an attack not only on a person, but also as an attack on the prime minister, as well as an attack on the very essence of statehood,” he said on social media.

Politicians from Smer, Mr Fico’s party, have blamed progressive journalists for stoking hatred against Mr Fico and his populist policies before the shooting.

04:22 PM BST

Watch: Fico taken to hospital on stretcher

04:18 PM BST

Russia seeks to blame Ukraine for attack on friendly Slovakian leader

Margarita Simonyan, the editor of Kremlin propaganda channel RT, has said that Ukraine should be blamed for the assassination attempt.

That would suit Moscow but there is no serious suggestion that Kyiv is responsible for an attack on the leader of a Nato and EU member state, which are two organisations Ukraine wants to join.

04:14 PM BST

Zelensky condemns Fico shooting

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has condemend the attack on Robert Fico.

“We sincerely hope Robert Fico recovers soon and express our solidarity with the people of Slovakia,” he said.

04:06 PM BST

‘Next few hours’ to decide Fico’s fate

A message posted to Robert Fico’s Facebook account said that the leader “has been shot multiple times and is currently in life-threatening condition”.

It said he was being transported by helicopter to the Banská Bystrica, 63 miles away from Handlova because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute procedure.

“The next few hours will decide,” it said.

03:58 PM BST

Irish foreign minister ‘deeply shocked’ by attack on Fico

Micheál Martin, Ireland’s foreign minister, has said he was “deeply shocked and appalled” by the assassination attempt on Robert Fico.

“This vile and reckless shooting is a direct attack on democracy itself,” he said.

03:40 PM BST

Watch: Slovakia’s PM shot in assassination attempt

Footage broadcast by the Nexta channel showed a man wearing jeans and a shirt lying on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back.

The bearded man, who Nexta claimed was 71, was guarded by officers as he was detained.

His face can be seen in the footage.

03:36 PM BST

Where the attack happened

The Slovak prime minister Robert Fico was attacked outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, around 150 km from the capital of Bratislava, where the leader was meeting with supporters.

Mr Fico, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired in the assassination attempt.

03:30 PM BST

Slovak president: ‘assassination attempt’ a threat to democracy

Peter Pellegrini, Slovakia’s president-elect and a close ally of Robert Fico, has called the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister “a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy so far.”

“I am horrified by where the hatred towards another political opinion can lead. We don’t have to agree on everything, but there are plenty of ways to express our disagreement democratically and legally,” he said on X.

03:26 PM BST

Pictured: man is detained on the ground

Images from the scene show a person being detained by police, who then closed off the area.

Four shots were fired and one struck Mr Fico, according to state broadcaster.

03:19 PM BST

Estonian PM calls assassination attempt ‘attack against the very idea of democracy’

Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas condemned the assassination attempt of  Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico as an assault on “the very idea of democracy”.

“Deeply shocked by the assasination attempt of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico,” Ms Kallas said on X.

“An attack against an elected leader is also an attack against the very idea of democracy.”

03:13 PM BST

Fico taken to capital in helicopter

Robert Fico has received treatment at a hospital in the town of Handlova and is being taken to the capital Bratislava, the hospital director said.

“Mr Fico was brought into our hospital and he was treated at our vascular surgery clinic,” hospital director Marta Eckhardtova said, adding: “The prime minister was later transported from our hospital, he is on his way to Bratislava.”

The government office said he was being transported by helicopter to a hospital in Bratislava.

03:13 PM BST

PM Rishi Sunak: Shocked to hear ‘awful news’

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister, said he was shocked to hear news of the attack on Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, who was shot and wounded on Wednesday.

“Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family,” Sunak said on X.

03:08 PM BST

Fico in life-threatening condition, says govt office

Robert Fico is in a life-threatening condition, Slovakia’s government office has said.

He is being airlifted to Banska Bystrica Hospital, it said.

03:06 PM BST

Who is Robert Fico?

Robert Fico was elected for a fourth stint as prime minister of Slovakia in October after running a campaign promising to end support for Ukraine.

The populist firebrand profited from a deep distrust of Nato in Slovakia, which is a member of the military alliance and the EU.

Until the 59-year-old’s election, Slovakia was one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters.

Mr Fico’s victory was seen as a blow to pro-Western forces and a boon to leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orban who has also criticised EU sanctions against Moscow for harming the economy.

The left-wing nationalist is known for a love of bodybuilding, fast cars, and football, as well as being anti-migrant and one of Slovakia’s fiercest critics of Covid masks and lockdowns.

However, the canny tactician has been less confrontational in the EU and Nato since taking office  than his campaign promises to not send “one more round” to Ukraine would suggest.

But, despite accusations that he is a pro-Putin patsy, he has refused to join a Czech-led coalition of EU states buying ammunition for Kyiv.

The eurosceptic’s third stint as prime minister ended in 2018 after he resigned during a  political crisis sparked by the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak.

He founded the ruling Direction – Social Democracy (Smer) party in 1999 and has led it ever since. Mr Fico also holds the record for the longest serving prime minister in Slovak history.

03:03 PM BST

Pictured: Person detained as security rush to get prime minister into car

The latest pictures from the ground in Handlova, where the Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico has just been shot and injured.

Images form the scene show a person being detailed by police and what security agents racing to a car that the leader was believed to have been moved to after the shooting.

02:57 PM BST

Latest: attacker shouted “Robo come here” at PM

Four shots were fired at 2.50pm local time in Handlova, which is 93 miles from the capital Bratislava. His condition is described as serious but he is also said to be out of danger.

His suspected attacker is believed to have shouted “Robo come here” to the prime minister, before he started shooting. Mr Fico was reported to have been hit in the stomach and hand.

After being driven away from the scene, he was taken to hospital by helicopter, where he will be operated on.

02:56 PM BST

Ursula Von der Leyen condemns ‘vile attack’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack on Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, she said on social media platform X on Wednesday.

“I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family”, she said.

02:55 PM BST

Prime Minister Fico’s condition is serious

“It’s a bullet wound to the abdomen and hand. He is currently out of danger. They are going to operate on him,” a source told The Telegraph.

02:54 PM BST

Pictured: the suspected attacker is detained

Reports on TA3, a Slovakian TV station, said that Fico was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, where the leader was meeting with supporters.

A suspect has been detained, it said.

Police sealed off the scene.

02:49 PM BST

Suspected attacker pinned down

The prime minister’s security forces and bystanders held down the suspected attacker as he was detained.

There is no information on the shooter’s motives yet.

02:42 PM BST

Fico frantically evacuated from the scene

In footage of the aftermath of the shooting, a suited Mr Fico is seen being picked up from a flower-bed by four bodyguards, his back to the metal railing separating him from the public.

As armed security and police enter the crowd, Mr Fico is carried, bent double, to a car by two of his guards, while the others flank them.

The camera pans round to show two policemen on top of what appears to be another person on the ground,  The railing is pulled back so Mr Fico’s car can pass, which it does at speed.

02:31 PM BST

Witness recalls moment of attack

“I was just going to shake his hand,” one man told local media.

“When the shots rang out, I almost became deaf,” a female witness, who said she heard up to four shots, added.

02:30 PM BST

President condemns ‘ruthless’ shooting

Zuzana Čaputová, Slovakia’s president, condemned “a brutal and ruthless” attack on the premier.

“I’m shocked,” Ms Caputova said. “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment and a quick recovery from this attack.”

02:27 PM BST

Witness reports from the ground

A witness said he heard several shots being fired and that he saw a man being detained by police, reported Reuters.

The witness added that he saw security officials forcing a man into a car and driving away.

The government office could not immediately be reached for comment.

02:26 PM BST

Pictured: latest from the scene

Slovak prime minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting after a government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia, news agency TASR reported on Wednesday.

Handlova is located some 150 kilometres (93 miles) north east of the capital Bratislava.

02:19 PM BST

Slovak PM is in hospital after shooting

Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is in hospital after being shot, according to local media reports.

News agency TASR reported that Mr Fico was shot in front of a building in Handlova, where a government meeting had just been held.

He has been taken to hospital and a man has reportedly been arrested.