Would-be assassin given 21-year sentence for shooting Slovak PM Robert Fico

A court in Slovakia sentenced on Tuesday the man who shot and injured Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024 to 21 years in prison on terrorism charges.

Juraj Cintula, 72, targeted the populist Slovak leader on 15 May last year after a government meeting in Handlová, located around 140 kilometres northeast of the capital of Bratislava.

After being shot in the abdomen, Fico was rushed to the hospital in the nearby city of Banská Bystrica, where he underwent a two-hour-long operation, before subsequently recovering.

On Tuesday, the Specialised Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica delivered its verdict against Cintula, following a trial that began in July.

Cintula refused to testify during the trial, but he had previously said that he carried out the attack because he disagreed with Fico’s policies, which have aligned the country more closely with Russia.

The 72-year-old has also said he did not want to kill anyone, but sought “to harm the health of the prime minister”.

Cintula added that he was relieved when he found out that Fico had survived his gunshot wounds.

“The defendant did not attack a citizen, but specifically the prime minister,” said Igor Králik, the head of the three-judge panel, as he read the verdict on Tuesday.

“He was against the government, he was inciting people to overthrow the government,” Králik suggested.

Prosecutors initially charged the defendant with attempted murder, but this was later dropped to pursue the more serious accusation of carrying out a terror attack. They said the case was based on evidence they obtained, but did not give further details.

Cintula can appeal the verdict at Slovakia’s supreme court, but it is not clear whether he will do so.

Fico, who has said he has forgiven his attacker, has blamed the liberal opposition and media for the shooting, but has failed to provide any evidence supporting his claims.

The Slovak politician was the only EU leader to travel to Moscow in May for an event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.