A man who shot and seriously injured Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in an attack last year has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after being found guilty of terrorism.
Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old pensioner, fired five shots at the prime minister in May 2024 when he was on a visit to the town of Handlova, about 180km (112 miles) north-east of the capital, Bratislava.
The gunman shot Fico at extremely close range, just as he was reaching out to shake his hand - thinking he was a supporter.
In court, Cintula denied trying to kill the prime minister, stating he aimed away from vital organs.
Footage from the scene of the shooting showed a man raising a gun and firing at the prime minister before being subdued by bodyguards. Other members of Fico's security team rushed him into his car.
The prime minister was seriously injured in his abdomen and was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital for surgery, with his condition described as life-threatening. He later recovered and returned to public appearances.
On Tuesday, Cintula was sentenced for terror charges, with Judge Igor Kralik stating that the court considers it proven that the defendant did not attack a citizen but specifically the prime minister. The gunman's lawyer attempted to reduce the charge to attacking a public official, which carries a lesser penalty, but this was rejected by the judge.
Cintula's lawyer has indicated plans to appeal the verdict. The attacker, an amateur poet, claimed he intended to injure Fico to stop policies he believed were harmful to Slovakia. Following the shooting, Cintula publicly objected to Fico's nationalist government, including its decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Prime Minister Fico has paradoxically attempted to blame the opposition for the attack and for inciting hatred, despite his own divisive rhetoric. Notably, he has been seen as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused the opposition of plotting a coup - a claim his opponents denied.
In recent months, numerous protests have erupted against Fico's governance, with citizens demanding greater adherence to the rule of law and media freedoms - allegations that Fico's government denies. Additionally, at the end of September, Fico's ruling coalition made significant constitutional changes recognizing only two genders and restricting adoption to married heterosexual couples, alongside prohibiting surrogate pregnancies.
