Slovakia PM Robert Fico Shot Multiple Times

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been shot multiple times in a life-threatening attack in the town of Handlova. A suspect has been taken into custody, but the motive for the shooting is still unknown. President Biden has condemned the attack as a "horrific act of violence" and said he is praying for Fico's recovery.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been shot multiple times and is in a "life-threatening condition," according to a statement on his Facebook page. The shooting happened in Handlova, about 90 miles northeast of the capital of Bratislava.

A suspect has been taken into custody, but the motive for the shooting is still unknown. President Biden has condemned the attack as a "horrific act of violence" and said he is praying for Fico's recovery.

Defense Minister Robert Kalina told reporters outside the hospital that medical teams were still fighting for Fico's life. He said an operation on Fico was not yet complete and described his condition as "extraordinarily serious."

Slovakia's major opposition parties, Progressive Slovakia and Freedom and Solidarity, have canceled a planned protest against a controversial government plan to overhaul public broadcasting in the wake of the shooting.

Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka said, "We absolutely and strongly condemn violence and today's shooting of Premier Robert Fico." "At the same time we call on all politicians to refrain from any expressions and steps which could contribute to further increasing the tension."

Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million people that shares a border with Ukraine, has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia invaded in February 2022, donating arms and opening its borders for refugees fleeing the war.

But Fico has stopped military aid. He also opposes European Union sanctions on Russia and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO, according to The Associated Press.

Fico, a third-time premier, and his leftist Smer, or Direction, party, won Slovakia's Sept. 30 parliamentary elections, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message.

Critics are worried Slovakia under Fico will abandon the country's pro-Western course and follow the direction of Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Orbán wrote on Facebook following the shooting that he was "deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend" and that he is praying for a quick recovery.

In his own statement, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said "We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state's head of government" and that "Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere. "

Images taken from the area where the shooting happened Wednesday showed a male individual being detained by authorities and Fico being rushed into a vehicle. The motive for the shooting is unclear.

Reports on TA3, a Slovakian TV station, said that Fico, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in Handlova.

The Government Office of the Slovak Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fico's government won a mandatory confidence vote in Parliament in November last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.