(Reuters) – Slovak prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against the attacker who shot and seriously wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico last year, the general prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
The suspect, who was 71 at the time of the incident last May, shot Fico four times at close range in the abdomen. Fico, 60, a four-time prime minister, later recovered and returned to work months later.
The attacker, identified by prosecutors as Juraj C., has said he aimed to hurt, not kill Fico, and disagreed with his policies, court documents released last year show.
The attack deepened the steep political divide in the central European country, with Fico and his leftist-nationalist government criticising its liberal opposition for stoking tensions.
Critics, though, have worried about Fico’s policies since he took power in 2023, including changes to criminal codes, a revamp of the public broadcaster and ending Slovakia’s military aid for Ukraine as it fights a Russian invasion.
The investigation into the attack wrapped up last month.
(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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