The life of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has survived an assassination attempt, is out of danger, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba said.
According to him, the surgery was successful. Fico's condition is "stable but still very serious" after shooting, hospital said.
Earlier, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said at that press conference that Fico "is in critical, life-threatening condition."
According to the minister, the assailant made up his mind to assassinate the prime minister shortly after the recent presidential election which was won by Social Democrat Peter Pellegrini, an associate of Fico.
"The assassination attempt was politically motivated," Sutaj Estok said.
In addition, the Interior Minister said that Slovakia would tighten security measures by stepping up protection of the country’s top officials, high-ranking politicians, including opposition ones, and major organizations, including the editorial offices of major media outlets.
Fico was wounded in a shooting incident that happened after a government meeting in the city of Handlova in the western part of Slovakia. He was hospitalized in a serious condition, with wounds in a limb, the chest and abdomen. The shooter was detained. According to the Slovak mass media, he is a 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula, who carried out the assassination attempt on Fico over disagreed with the government’s policy.
