Fico assassination attempt: Hungarian government shocked – UPDATE

Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, has called Wednesday’s shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico “shocking and appalling”.

“Who would have thought that such a brutal attack could happen in central Europe?!”, Szijjártó said on Facebook.

“We hope and pray for his speediest possible recovery,” the minister said, emphasising the politician’s importance to Slovakian and European politics.

Fico was shot in the town of Handlova (Nyitrabánya), some 150km northeast of Bratislava. He has been taken to hospital and a suspect has been detained.

UPDATE: Kövér expresses ‘deep shock’ over attack on Slovak PM Fico

Speaker of Parliament László Kövér has expressed his “deep shock and total indignation” over the “brutal armed attack” against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

“I would like to express my sincere sympathies to the family and the Slovak nation on behalf of myself and the Hungarian parliament at this difficult time,” Kövér said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that he was praying for Fico’s speedy recovery.

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