A WOULD-BE assassin accused of shooting Slovakia's pro-Putin prime minister has been unmasked as an anti-violence crusader.
Robert Fico, 59, was blasted several times at point-blank range on Wednesday as he greeted supporters in Handlova.
The controversial politician was in the small town to attend a government meeting when a gunman suddenly leaned across, firing shots in quick succession before being pulled over by bodyguards.
After collapsing to the ground, Fico was hauled into a government limousine which quickly left the scene.
A suspect, named as 71-year-old poet Juraj Cintula, is in custody and has been charged with attempted murder.
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Authorities believe the assassination attempt had "clear political motivation".
Cintula, from Levice, is understood to be a writer who founded an "anti-violence" movement in 2015.
The activist previously claimed "the world is full of hatred" in a rant for the faction.
He said: "Every normal person rejects violence. Our goal is to unite people, preserve peace and restore democracy.
"It is very difficult because no one trusts anyone anymore. The world is full of chaos and hatred."
It is understood Cintula is also part of the pro-Russian group Slovački branci.
According to Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, Facebook posts show Cintula as a supporter of the group.
Cintula also previously lambasted Fico's government for not combating gambling.
And in political videos shared on YouTube and Facebook, the dad insisted the "world is full of violence and weapons".
He added: "People seem to be going crazy.
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"A number of migrants are flowing into Europe, there is hatred and extremism everywhere.
"But worst of all, the governments of European states have no alternative to this chaos. But that's what a person is after all."
On Wednesday, Cintula's son told local media: "I have no idea what father intended, what he planned, why it happened.
"Maybe there was some short circuit."
The populist PM was swiftly airlifted to hospital following the attack, where he was rushed in for emergency surgery in a critical condition.
It is understood out of five shots, three hit him.
Doctors grappled for hours to save Fico's life after he was wounded in the abdomen in a horrifying assassination attempt caught on camera.
His injuries were described as "extraordinarily serious" when he entered hospital.
Despite his grave injuries, Fico is expected to survive the bloody assault.
He is understood to be in a "very serious" but stable condition today.
Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Fico is admitted, said the PM had undergone five hours of surgery with two teams to treat multiple wounds.
She said: "At this point his condition is stabilised but is truly very serious. He will be in the intensive care unit."
Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak said doctors had managed to stabilise Fico's condition overnight, and procedures were underway to secure further improvement.
He said: "Unfortunately the condition continues to be very serious due to the complicated nature of the wounds, but we all want to believe firmly that we will succeed in managing the situation."
The shooting was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader in more than 20 years.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said on Wednesday that the attack was "politically motivated".
Fico and his government coalition allies have criticised sections of the media and the opposition, saying they had inflamed tensions in the central European state.
Slovakia's biggest opposition party, the liberal, pro-western Progressive Slovakia, called off a planned protest and called for restraint to avoid escalating tensions.
Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond.
But his return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would lead his country further from the Western mainstream.
Kicking off his fourth term as prime minister, his government halted arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Critics worry that he will lead Slovakia, a nation of 5.4 million that belongs to Nato, to abandon its pro-Western course and follow in the footsteps of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Fico's policies.
