Dramatic footage shows the aftermath following the assassination attempt of the Slovakian Prime Minister.
Robert Fico, 59, has been rushed to hospital following the shooting, which happened after a cabinet meeting in Handlova, around 118 miles northeast of Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. A Slovak interior ministry spokesman confirmed this was an assassination attempt and a man has been arrested.
Footage shows officers and members of the public scramble to detain a man in the small town in the Prievidza District. Slovakia's outgoing president Zuzana Caputova said she is shocked by the "brutal and ruthless" attack on the prime minister. She added: "I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack."
Mr Fico, who returned to power last year and leads the populist left-wing Smer-SSD party, has sustained life-threatening injuries, according to a post on his Facebook page. It says the Slovak PM was "shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition" and that he is being transported by helicopter to the nearby town of Banská Bystrica.
Local journalists reported hearing several shots fired following the cabinet meeting. Witnesses said they saw Mr Fico fall to the ground.
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Security officers move Robert Fico in a car after the shooting (REUTERS)Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orabn says he is "deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico". Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says the shooting is "shocking" and wishes Fico as quick recovery.
Mr Fico won the vote last October with pledges to halt military aid to Ukraine, but denied being pro-Russian. He previously was forced to step down as prime minister following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018.
During his campaign, the politician had told supporters: "If Smer enters government, we will not send a single round of ammunition to Ukraine." Father-of-one Mr Fico also pledged to resist Western sanctions on Russia.
Mr Fico holds a record as the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, having served for a total of more than 10 years. First elected to Parliament in 1992 (whilst within Czechoslovakia), he was later appointed to the Council of Europe.
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