Slovak PM Robert Fico wounded in assassination attempt. Tusk: my thoughts are with you

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova wrote on X: "Utterly shocked by today's brutal attack on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, which I condemn in strongest possible terms."

"I wish him lot of strength in this critical moment and early recovery.

"My thoughts are also with his family and close ones."

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk extended words of support to Fico on the X social media platform.

"Shocking news from Slovakia. Robert, my thoughts are with you in this very difficult moment," he wrote.

Polish President Andrzej Duda followed suit and expressed his regards on X.

"I am shocked by the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico. The cruelty of this attack is unimaginable.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Robert Fico, his family and the people of Slovakia."

Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote: "I am shocked by the attack on the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico." "I hope for the Prime Minister's speedy recovery and for the clarification of all circumstances surrounding this terrible event," he added.

Speaker of the Sejm (the lower chamber of the Polish parliament) Szymon Hołownia sent his sympathies on X in the Slovak language.

"I'm shocked by the attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. My thoughts are with Mr Fico and his relatives."

"An assassination (attempt) on Prime Minister Robert Fico was carried out today at the government's off-site meeting in Handlova," the government office said in a statement. "At the moment he is being transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica because it would take too long to Bratislava in view of the necessity of an acute intervention."

Slovak media said the shooter was a 71-year-old man but the motive was not immediately clear.

Slovak news media reported the shooter was a former security guard at a shopping mall, an author of three collections of poetry and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers. Atkuality.sk cited his son as saying his father was the legal holder of a gun licence.

"I have absolutely no idea what my father intended, what he planned, what happened," news outlet Aktuality.sk quoted the shooter's son as saying.

Slovak news agency TASR quoted parliamentary vice-chairman Lubos Blaha as saying Fico had been shot and hurt. Broadcaster TA3 reported four shots were fired, one hitting Fico, 59, in the abdomen.

Fico was conscious when he was taken to a hospital in the town of Handlova and was treated for bullet wounds, a hospital spokesperson told Reuters by email.

Resident and eyewitness Lubica Volkova described the moment she realized the Prime Minister had been shot, after the meeting in Handlova northeast of the capital Bratislava, saying it felt like a 'nightmare' and one she will not wake up from.

"I heard three shots, it was quick one by one like if you throw a firecracker on the ground," she told Reuters.

The 66-year-old resident captured pictures of the incident on her phone and described seeing Fico falling next to barriers, adding 'that this is not possible to happen in Slovakia.'

The Slovak government was meeting in Handlova, 190 km (118 miles) northeast of Bratislava, as part of a tour of the country's regions after coming to power late last year.

Fico returned as prime minister of the central European country, which is a member of the European Union and NATO, for the fourth time last year after shifting political gears to appeal to a changing electorate.

During a three-decade career, Fico has moved between the pro-European mainstream and nationalistic positions opposed to European Union and U.S. policies. He has also shown a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.

Following the shooting, Slovakia's biggest opposition party called off a planned protest against government public broadcaster reforms set for Wednesday evening.

Opposition member of parliament in Slovakia, Branislav Gohrling, said that the attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico is an attack on the ''internal security" of the country, adding that "at this moment it is important to know what his condition is and then we can comment on it in more detail".

Gohrling's party colleague Maria Kolikova said: "This escalation that is taking place in society can really lead to what we are experiencing now."

"It is right that we have different political views, but there is interference in society and this has resulted in this act of violence.''

Several other EU and world leaders condemned the attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden said the U.S. Embassy was ready to assist the Slovak government, according to a statement released by the White House.

"I am alarmed to hear reports of an attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico," Biden said. "We condemn this horrific act of violence. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strongly condemned "the vile attack".

"Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family," she added on X.

European Council President Charles Michel, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte all said on X they were shocked by the news.

"Nothing can ever justify violence or such attacks", Michel said.

"Shocked and appalled by the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico. I wish him strength for a speedy recovery. My thoughts are with Robert Fico, his loved ones, and the people of Slovakia," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed shock on X, adding: "News of the cowardly assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Fico shocks me deeply. Violence must have no place in European politics."

Austria's conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer also said he was shocked, adding: "Hate and violence must not be allowed to take hold in our democracies and must be fought with the utmost determination!"

British PM Rishi Sunak said: "Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family."

"I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and quick recovery! God bless him and his country!" - Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X: "The attack on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is appalling."

"We strongly condemn this act of violence against our neighboring partner state's head of government. Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form, or sphere. We sincerely hope Robert Fico recovers soon and express our solidarity with the people of Slovakia."