A man who shot and seriously injured Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in an attack last year has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after being found guilty of terrorism.
Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old pensioner, fired five shots at the prime minister in May 2024 when he was on a visit to the town of Handlova, about 180km (112 miles) north-east of the capital, Bratislava.
The gunman shot Fico at extremely close range, just as he was reaching out to shake his hand – thinking he was a supporter.
In court, Cintula denied trying to kill the prime minister, saying he had deliberately aimed away from his vital organs.
Footage from the scene of the shooting showed a man raising a gun and firing at the prime minister before being subdued by bodyguards. Other members of Fico’s security team rushed him into his car.
The prime minister was seriously injured in his abdomen and was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital for surgery, with his condition described as life-threatening. He later recovered and returned to public appearances.
On Tuesday, Cintula was sentenced on terror charges, with Judge Igor Kralik stating: “The court considers proven that the defendant did not attack a citizen but specifically the prime minister.”
The gunman’s lawyer had attempted to reduce the charge to attacking a public official, which has a lower penalty, but this was rejected by the judge.
Cintula’s lawyer said he would likely appeal the verdict.
The attacker, an amateur poet, claimed he only wanted to injure Fico in order to stop policies he believed were harming Slovakia.
Following the shooting, Cintula said he objected to Fico’s nationalist government, including its decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine as Slovakia’s neighbour fends off a Russian invasion.
The 61-year-old prime minister has tried to blame the opposition for the attack and for whipping up hatred, though he is known for deeply divisive rhetoric himself.
Fico, seen by many European leaders as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in January accused the opposition of planning a coup in Slovakia – a claim rejected by his opponents.
In recent months, tens of thousands of Slovaks have protested against what they describe as the government’s curtailing of the rule of law and media freedom – allegations Fico’s government denies.
At the end of September, Fico’s ruling coalition spearheaded changes to Slovakia’s constitution so it recognises only two sexes, restricts adoption to married heterosexual couples and prohibits surrogate pregnancies.
