'I forgive him': Slovakia's PM Robert Fico says he felt 'no hatred' towards his attacker

FILE - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico arrives to a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. ©Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico posted a speech online on Wednesday in his first appearance since he was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt three weeks ago.

In a pre-recording speech posted on his Facebook ahead of the European Parliament election, Fico said the attack caused serious damage to his health and that “it will be a small miracle if I return to work in several weeks.”

Fico has been recovering from multiple wounds after being shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters on May 15 in the town of Handlova, about 140 kilometres northeast of the capital, Bratislava. An assailant was arrested.

Fico said he should be back to work on the turn of June and July, and that he felt “no hatred” towards his attacker. “I forgive him," he said.

© Euronews