The pro-Putin prime minister of Slovakia is recovering in hospital after being shot in an assassination bid that triggered alarm bells across Europe.
Robert Fico was beckoned over to meet a crowd of supporters before a gunman leaned across and fired five times at point-blank range, sending the divisive politician sprawling to the ground.
Bodyguards pounced on the would-be assassin as Mr Fico was carried into a government limousine which sped away before he was airlifted to hospital.
Overnight there was confusion over the premier’s condition, with deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba telling the BBC on Wednesday evening he was confident Mr Fico ‘will survive’, with local news outlets reporting that he was out of surgery and stable.
Other ministers, however, insisted throughout the night that Mr Fico remained in a critical condition.
Police detained 71-year-old poet Juraj Cintula on suspicion of the shooting in Handlova, central Slovakia.
亲普京的斯洛伐克总理在一次暗杀行动中被枪击，目前正在医院康复，这在整个欧洲敲响了警钟。 罗伯特·菲科被招呼过去与一群支持者会面，随后一名枪手俯身向他近距离开了五枪，将这位有争议的政客击倒在地。 当菲科先生被抬上一辆政府豪华轿车时，保镖扑向了这名暗杀者。这辆豪华轿车飞驰而去，然后他被空运到医院。 一夜之间，人们对总理的伤情感到困惑，周三晚上，副总理托马斯·塔拉巴告诉 BBC，他相信菲科先生“会活下来”，当地新闻媒体报道说，他已经完成手术，情况稳定。 然而，其他部长整夜坚称菲科先生仍处于危急状态。 71 岁的诗人尤拉吉·辛图拉因涉嫌在斯洛伐克中部汉德洛瓦发生枪击事件被警方拘留。
