Slovak Deputy PM Blames Media for Fico Assassination Attempt as Shooter Reportedly Confesses to Police

Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kaliňák has laid the blame for the assassination attempt against Robert Fico at the feet of the media for stoking division within society as the alleged shooter reportedly confessed to the attack during a police interrogation.

Suspected shooter of Slovakian PM Robert Fico, identified by local media as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, is believed to have confessed to his guilt during a police interrogation, Bratislava-based broadcaster TA3 reported on Sunday.

The alleged would-be assassin has been remanded into custody by the Specialized Criminal Court (ŠTS) in Pezinok on Sunday, over concerns that he may flee or continue engaging in criminal activity. If convicted, he faces between 25 years to life behind bars.

While police have yet to provide a motive for the shooting, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok said that it was “absolutely clear” that there was a “political motive” to the shooting, claiming that Cintula disagreed with the Fico’s move to shut down the corruption-focussed special prosecutor’s office or with his decision to cut off military aid to Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kaliňák, who has taken over the role of leading the country during Fico’s hospitalisation, decried the political division within Slovakia and criticised the media and the political class for stoking the divide, arguing that positions held by Fico were branded as being outside the bounds of allowable opinion.

“Many media confused reporting with fighting. Robert Fico was labelled with the worst adjectives for a long time, he was labelled evil on billboards,” Kaliňák said on Friday according to Slovak daily Denník N.

“There can and could only be one correct opinion here, and when you didn’t have one, they used all their protocol against you. Look what happened to athletes, actors, actually anyone who had a different opinion on vaccinations or on the war in Ukraine. And what a huge hate those people experienced. And that’s exactly the problem.”

Kaliňák specifically called out the media for calling Fico a “radical ultra-right politician with ties to Russia” because of his opposition to funding the war in Ukraine, adding: “Yes, he just doesn’t agree with the mainstream opinion, and that’s why he’s automatically on the other side.”

“You simply don’t have the right opinion, you have to be eliminated. And this is the result.”

Turning to the health of the prime minister, who has been reported to be conscious after a successful series of surgeries, Kaliňák said: “Several miracles have happened, I can’t find the words to thank the doctors for the fact that we are approaching a positive prognosis.”

However, the deputy PM still expressed caution, noting that there is still the likelihood of Fico experiencing complications in the coming days.

“The four gunshot wounds that hit him in Wednesday’s assassination caused extensive injuries. Two of them were light in nature, one medium and one very severe,” he said.

Kaliňák said that doctors attributed his recovery, in part, to Fico being in good physical shape, saying: “I don’t know many strong people like him. If someone can handle this, they are extremely physically prepared.”

“We are already reaching a stage where the body has already exhausted the reserves of its defence mechanisms, and therefore it is important that the doctors have the treatment in the right setting and we manage to manage the complications, which, however, are inevitable.”

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