(CNN in Spanish) — More than 24 hours after the attack, Slovak authorities confirmed to CNN the identity of the suspect in the attempted assassination of the country’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico.
Fico was shot several times on Wednesday after a government meeting, initially putting his life in danger. After undergoing surgery for more than five hours, the president was out of danger of death.
The alleged attacker was among a small crowd of people waiting to greet the prime minister in the street in front of the cultural center where the meeting took place, according to local media.
Below, we tell you what we know about the suspect.
Name, age and city of origin
This image, taken from a video obtained by AFP, shows security personnel detaining a suspected attacker after the Slovak Prime Minister was shot multiple times in Handelova on May 15, 2024. (Image source: RTVS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Slovak Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to CNN the identity of the alleged attacker after questioning him: He is Juraj C, 71 years old, and from Léves, a city located in southwestern Slovakia.
“I can confirm that this is the person accused” of attempted murder, Zuzana Drobova, a spokeswoman for the country’s prosecutor’s office, told CNN on Thursday.
Political motives
Slovak authorities said the alleged attacker shot Fico five times.
Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia.
Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinac and Interior Minister Matusz Štaj Istok said the attack was “politically motivated.”
“The suspect made the decision to do so shortly after the presidential election,” commented Shotaj Stock.
He added, “The reasons are the decision to abolish the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the decision to stop providing military aid to Ukraine, the reform of the public broadcasting service, and the dismissal of the head of the Judicial Council.”
Shotaj Istok also said that the suspect is not a member of any extremist group, describing him as a “lone wolf who decided to act after the presidential election” and that he had attended anti-government protests in the past.
On Saturday, the Specialized Criminal Court in Slovakia ruled that the man remain in detention, according to a court spokesman. The spokesman said in a statement, “The reason for the arrest is fear of possible escape and continued criminal activity.”
The statement added, “The trial judge did not accept the written promise made by the defendant and rejected the probation and mediation officer’s proposal for supervision.”
The session was closed to the media and the public and was held in the city of Pezinok, near the capital, Bratislava.
The outcome of the court’s decision is not “fully binding,” giving the accused the opportunity to “appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic,” the statement said.
With reporting from CNN’s Ivana Kutasova, Sugam Pokharel, Zahid Mahmood, Jesse Young and Duarte Mendonca.
“There is no doubt that this was politically motivated. The inability to accept people’s choice, which some may not like…leads to this,” Kalinak noted.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrives for a photo with his Polish, Hungarian and Czech counterparts before the Visegrad Group meeting at the Government House in Prague, Czech Republic, on February 27, 2024. (Photo credit MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images)
The suspect said he did not agree with Fico’s government
Shotaj Eastok claimed that the suspect said that the motive behind his action was his disagreement with the government on several issues.
“The reasons are the decision to abolish the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the decision to stop providing military aid to Ukraine, the reform of the public broadcasting service, and the dismissal of the Chairman of the Judicial Council,” Shotaj Eastock said.
Slovakia says the alleged attacker is not a member of an extremist group and describes him as a “lone wolf.”
The Interior Minister added that the suspect is not a member of any extremist group, describing him as a “lone wolf who decided to act after the presidential elections” and who had attended anti-government protests in the past.
The reforms proposed and implemented by Fico’s government dramatically divided Slovakia and sparked weeks of massive but entirely peaceful protests.
Charges have been formally brought against the alleged attacker
The Slovak Interior Minister has charged the suspect in the shooting death of the Slovak Prime Minister on Wednesday with attempted murder.
“I want to stress that the police are working on only one theory of investigation and that the suspect is charged with attempted murder,” Shottag Eastock said in a press conference on Thursday.
With reporting from CNN’s Ivana Kutasova, Sugam Pokharel, Zahid Mahmood and Jesse Young.
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