Slovakia court sentences the suspect in attempted assassination of prime minister to 21 years

A court in Slovakia has convicted a man of a terror attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison over last year’s attempted assassination of Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico

Hungary Slovakia (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A court in Slovakia on Tuesday convicted a man of a terror attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison over last year’s attempted assassination of Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Juraj Cintula was accused of opening fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlová, located 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital of Bratislava.

The verdict was handed down by the Specialized Criminal Court in the central city of Banská Bystrica. Cintula and prosecutors still can appeal the verdict.

Cintula, 72, was arrested immediately after the attack and was ordered to remain behind bars. When questioned by investigators, Cintula rejected the accusation of being a “terrorist.”

Fico was shot in the abdomen and was taken from Handlová to a hospital in nearby Banská Bystrica. He underwent a five-hour surgery, followed by another two-hour surgery two days later. He has since recovered.