Slovakia's PM Robert Fico underwent another operation, remains in serious condition

FILE - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. ©AP Photo/Denes Erdos, File

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent another operation after being shot in an assassination attempt earlier this week and remains in serious condition, Robert Kalinak, the country’s deputy prime minister and defense minister said.

Fico, 59, was shot multiple times on Wednesday while greeting supporters after a government meeting in the former coal mining town of Handlova, in an attack that has shocked the nation.

"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.

© Euronews