World leaders decry attack against Fico, who was shot several times and is in ‘life-threatening condition’.
World leaders have condemned an attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is in a “life-threatening condition” after being shot.
The prime minister was shot “multiple times” on Wednesday in an “assassination attempt”, a statement on his official social media page said.
The 59-year-old leader was shot in the abdomen in the central town of Handlova. Police sealed off the scene, and a suspect has been detained, according to local media reports.
Here are some of the global reactions:
United States President Joe Biden
Biden condemned the shooting as a “horrific act of violence”, adding that he and first lady Jill Biden “are praying for a swift recovery, and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin said the attack was a “monstrous crime”.
“There can be no justification for this monstrous crime. I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation,” Putin said.
The Russian leader wished Fico “a speedy and full recovery”.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Guterres decried the “shocking attack carried out today against the prime minister of Slovakia”, his office said.
Guterres’s “thoughts are with the prime minister and his loved ones at this difficult moment”, his spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Source: Aljazeera
D-Ample Newspaper 