President Biden said he was “alarmed” after Wednesday’s shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico put the European leader in critical condition.
“We condemn this horrific act of violence,” Biden said in a statement. “Our embassy is in close contact with the Slovak government and ready to help.”
Fico was shot several times after a meeting in the town of Handlova in central Slovakia as the prime minister greeted supporters.
A post to Fico’s Facebook account said the prime minister was in a “life-threatening condition” and was transported to hospital by helicopter.
“The next few hours will decide,” says the post.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, a close ally of Fico, called the shooting an “assassination attempt” that was “a threat to everything that has adorned Slovak democracy until now.”
“An assassination attempt on one of the highest constitutional officials is an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy,” he said. wrote on social platform. “If we express different political opinions with weapons in the squares, and not in the polling stations, we will endanger everything we have built together in 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.”
Slovak media outlet Denník N reported that a 71-year-old man was detained in connection with the shooting and that he had used a legally purchased gun.
Several world leaders condemned the attack, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close friend, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined those condemning the attack in a statement on Wednesday.
“Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good,” she said.
Fico is a pro-Russian politician who won his fourth term last year.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
