Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was hospitalized but is expected to survive after he was shot yesterday in the central town of Handlova. A suspect was arrested in what officials are calling a politically motivated assassination attempt.
Video shows Fico arriving to shake hands with supporters after a political event when a man in a button-down shirt appeared to shoot at him at least five times at close range (see video, warning: sensitive content). One bullet went through Fico's stomach while another hit his joint, according to one official. Fico was subsequently rushed off by helicopter to a hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Little has been publicly released about Fico's attacker, though elected officials blamed a divisive political atmosphere for the attempt. Fico is a longtime pro-Russian leader in Slovakia, serving for 10 years since 2006 before being reelected last year on promises to reduce the flow of military aid to Ukraine. While his political party leans left, he is an ally to Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
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