Slovak PM 'fighting for his life' following hours of surgery - minister

We now are pausing our live coverage of the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot as he left a meeting in Handlova.

Earlier Defence Minister Robert Kalinak told journalists at the hospital where Fico is being treated that the prime minister "is fighting for his life" following surgery for more than three hours, and that the situation was "bad".

A short while ago Slovakia's deputy prime minister told the BBC that he believed the prime minister "will survive".

Click here for further reading on the career of Robert Fico.

During six months in office Robert Fico and his coalition allies have taken a sledgehammer to Slovakia’s institutions. Reform of the criminal justice system included abolition of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, set up 20 years ago to investigate serious crime and corruption.

The office had been overseeing the murders of Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova, and six years on, securing a conviction now seems more distant than ever.

The national broadcaster – RTVS – is to be shut down in June and replaced with a new body with a new director. Fico says RTVS cannot be objective as it is in permanent conflict with his government, and this "unsustainable" situation can only be rectified by replacing it.

Observers – including the opposition, the European Commission, the European Broadcasting Union – have warned the move would strike a blow for media freedom in Slovakia.

Parliament had begun debating the proposal in earnest on Wednesday morning when news of the shooting broke.

Media reports that the gunman – a 71-year-old man from southern Slovakia – had been motivated by the move to shut down RTVS have not been confirmed. Meanwhile, a Hungarian investigative journalist said the man had previously been associated with a pro-Russian paramilitary group.

The man’s identity is being reported widely by the Slovak media, but his motive remains unclear.

However, if the 59-year-old political veteran pulls through, he will likely draw new strength from this attempt on his life. Amidst the calls for calm and an end to the hateful rhetoric, his closest political allies are already laying the blame squarely on the liberal opposition and the media.

One coalition ally – deputy prime minister Andrej Danko – said the country was heading for ‘political war’.

The political temperature has certainly risen in Slovakia since he formed what is his fourth administration in October. But this shooting propels the country into wholly uncharted territory.

Earlier today Slovak President Zuzana Caputova told reporters she was shocked by the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico, and it was an "attack on democracy".

Watch the video below to hear her comments.

Slovakia's deputy prime minister has told the BBC's Newshour that he believes Prime Minister Robert Fico "will survive" and that he is no longer in a life threatening situation.

Tomas Taraba also criticised the opposition parties, accusing them of using "false narratives" and painting Fico as "like almost a monster", comments which he said did not belong in a democracy.

"I was very shocked ... fortunately as far as I know the operation went well - and I guess in the end he will survive ... he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment," he said.

He went on to say that the shooting was carried out "from very close" by an elderly man.

"He was heavily injured - one bullet went though the stomach and the second one hit the joint - immediately he was transported to the hospital and then to the operation," Taraba said.

Earlier at a news conference, Robert Kalinak from the Ministry of Defence said the prime minister had been in surgery for more than three hours and was "fighting for his life".

Lukas Ondercanin, a foreign news editor for Slovak Daily News based in Bratislava, says the assassination attempt was “shocking for the whole of Slovakia”.

Speaking to the BBC, he says the current situation in Slovakia is “very polarised” and that there’s “a lot of hate speech on social media”.

“There will be a big discussion about what’s next for Slovak democracy,” he notes, adding that protests against Fico’s government organised by the opposition were meant to take place tonight but were cancelled following the attack.

As we've been reporting, thousands of Slovaks have been protesting against the proposed reform of the public broadcaster in recent weeks. The national broadcaster is to be shut down in June and replaced with a new body with a new director.

“The mood now is very bad in the country,” Ondercanin says.

Here's a look at the scene of the shooting in Handlova.

Law enforcement and forensics have cordoned off the area and investigations are underway the western Slovakian town.

Handlova has a population of around 18,000 people, according to its official website and was founded as an agricultural community in 1376.

A few centuries later, the production of coal transformed Handlova into a mining town.

Prime Minister Fico was attending a government meeting in the area when he was attacked outside the town's cultural centre.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

ShutterstockCopyright: Shutterstock

ShutterstockCopyright: Shutterstock

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

We've just heard from two members of Slovakia's government who were giving a press briefing on Prime Minister Fico who was shot earlier today. If you missed it, here's what they had to say:

• Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said Fico was still in surgery and had been for hours. He also thanked the teams "fighting to save Fico's life".
• He described the PM's health status as "really serious" and said there was no good news at the moment
• Matus Sutaj Estok, Minister of Interior, spoke next and described today's shooting as an attack on democracy
• He told the briefing, the assailant shot the PM "five times" and that early investigations indicated that the attack was "political"
• Estok blamed hate speech spread on social media for today's shooting and urged citizens not to "respond to hate with hate"
• He added that protection would be provided to constitutional officials as well as other groups who could be subject to similar attacks, including journalists and public figures
• Estok addressed the media and accused them of contributing to the climate that led to today's shooting saying, "Many of you were those who were sowing this hatred"
• He ended the address by telling the media that they had a "social responsibility" to combat hate being spread

As we've been reporting, Robert Kalinak, Slovak minister of defence, and Matus Sutaj Estok, minister of interior, have given a news conference, updating the media on Prime Minister Robert Fico's state of health.

They also spoke strongly about the "hatred sown" by the media and people "railing at other people" on social media.

Robert Fico's first few months as prime minister have proved highly contentious politically - he returned to power in Slovakia after elections last September, at the head of a populist-nationalist coalition.

In January he halted military aid to Ukraine and last month pushed through plans to abolish public broadcaster RTVS.

Thousands of Slovaks have protested against the proposed reform of the public broadcaster in recent weeks. However, a planned opposition-led demonstration was called off on Wednesday as news of the shooting emerged.

Parliament was sitting at the time of the attack and Slovak media reported that a party colleague of Fico's shouted at opposition MPs, accusing them of stoking the attack.

President-elect Peter Pellegrini, who is a political ally of Fico's, said he was horrified to hear of the attack and also blamed the shooting on recent political divisions.

Describing the attack as an "unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy" he said people did not have to agree on everything, but there were many ways to express disagreement democratically and legally.

Sara Cincurova, a freelance journalist from Bratislava, says that there has been some tension in the Slovak parliament recently.

Speaking to the BBC after the ministers of defence and interior address the media, accused the media of "sowing hatred", she gives some background of the political situation in the country.

"Just today there was supposed be a protest about the public broadcaster, there have been protests against the coalition government and against many new laws that have been approved in the parliament," she says.

She adds that this is "one of the most horrific attacks on a EU leader in recent history."

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Robert Kalinak says this attack will be discussed in the future, “a lot”.

The defence minister says Prime Minister Robert Fico “valued fundamental principles” and that it is “our role to stop this” in relation to the what has happened over the last few weeks.

Matus Sutaj Estok addresses the media, and reporters in the room, saying it was "many of you were those who were sowing this hatred".

He called on the media to recognise that it has a "social responsibility" and to make sure "you stop this hate".

The news conference has finished. Stay with us for the latest developments and analysis.

"I can't find the words to describe what we are witnessing today," adds Kalinak.

He continues talking about the situation Slovakia came to be in, in the recent weeks, 30 years after the foundation of Slovakia.

"After 30 years, we came to a moment where we stand in this press conference," and adds that he is not sure if he can conclude if Slovakia has changed.

"But if it changed, it changed to something that nobody will like. It is not going to be helpful to go on like this, let's stop this."

He calls on people to take a look at what's important today and how they are going to live in this world today.

Estok says that he is asking for society to "calm down".

He says he personally believes that there are people who "should take a look in the mirror" for contributing to this situation.

He again accuses people of using social media and hate speech "to rail at other people".

Defence Minister Robert Kalinak adds that they have been generous towards this expression but that they are not the ones "abusing" the law.

EBUCopyright: EBU

Matus Sutaj Estok, Minister of Interior, says the prime minister was shot in the stomach.

Estok adds that the assassination attempt was politically motivated and the decision was “born right after the presidential election”.

After blaming hate speech, Matus Sutaj Estok goes on to say that they will do everything in their power to protect their constitutional officials, who could be the target of such attacks including journalists and public figures.

"Please calm down, let's not spread hate," he says.

He says he will appeal to the deputy PM "to convene the security council tomorrow to evaluate the situation", adding that it is "the saddest day for democracy in Slovakia, an attack on PM is an attack on democracy".

Estok continues with a plea to all citizens saying: "We can't respond to hate with hate."

He says that hate towards any politician and all political parties should stop, and adds that authorities have done everything they could to protect the politicians.

Estok says that protection will now be offered to all constitutional officials.

He blames hate spreading on social media for the attack, saying "what has started now was sown by many of you, by your hate".

Matus Sutaj Estok, Minister of Interior, says the incident today was an attack on democracy and the state itself.

He says the perpetrator of the attack “shot five times” and that the prime minister is in a “critical condition”.

Estok says following an initial investigation, the motivation of the attack appears to be “political”.

Defence Minister Robert Kalinak goes on to say that any detailed medical information will be available later on: "The situation is really complicated now."

He tells the reporters that the surgery has been going on for three and a half hours.

Kalinak says the people of Slovakia have always been known as tolerant, and they have always been able to discuss matters.

"What happened today is a stigma which will haunt us for many years to come," he says.

"But at the moment all of us think about the condition of our Prime Minister Robert Fico," he adds and concludes that "we are hoping that he is strong enough to deal with this trauma".

EBUCopyright: EBU

Kalinak continues saying he would like to thank the emergency services, doctors, nurses and specialists for fighting for the prime minister's life.

He says Prime Minister Fico is still in surgery and that the situation is really bad.

Kalinak adds there is no good news at the moment.