Overview
- Juraj Cintula, 72, has admitted shooting Prime Minister Robert Fico four times in May 2024 and was detained at the scene.
- The special penal court in Banska Bystrica is expected to issue its ruling today after a trial that began in July.
- Prosecutors reclassified the case from premeditated murder to a terror offense based on Cintula’s stated political motive.
- Cintula told the court he meant to wound, cited “moral despair” in his final statement, and was reported to have shouted “It was worth it” afterward.
- Fico underwent two surgeries and returned to work two months later, as his government’s actions toward NGOs, media, and a new constitutional change on LGBTQ rights and EU law drew large street protests.