"I am not exaggerating"

Fico predicted violence against politicians in April

Robert Fico (mid-April in Brussels)

(Bild: APA/AFP/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD)

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was the victim of an assassination attempt on Wednesday, predicted violence against members of the government back in April. In a Facebook video in which he attacked unpopular media and the opposition, he also literally spoke of the murder of a leading government politician. Meanwhile, there has been criticism of the behavior of Fico's bodyguards during the attack. An investigation has been launched.

"They insult government politicians on the street in an obscene way," Fico said in the video, which was published on April 10 -shortly after the Slovakian presidential election. Newspapers and news portals such as "Dennik N", "Sme" and "Aktuality.sk" are "fueling this frustration so intensely" that he is "just waiting for it to lead to the murder of a leading government politician. And I am not exaggerating in the slightest," the head of government said at the time.

Attack on the media and opposition
According to Fico, the aforementioned and other media encourage "progressive voters", i.e. supporters of the opposition, "to be impetuous and aggressive". And "as a warning", according to the Prime Minister, they "execute" publicly known personalities who support the government candidate Peter Pellegrini "just because they dare to have a different opinion".

Fico fell to the ground during the attack and his bodyguards then carried him to a car.

(Bild: APA/AFP/RTVS)

The Slovakian Prime Minister claimed that such a "warning" would be issued so that those who would not vote the way President Zuzana Čaputová, Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Šimečka, former Prime Minister Ludovit Odor or presidential candidate Ivan Korčok, who lost the run-off election in April, would know what to expect.

"We are not fighting against the camp of other opinions, of other solutions. We are fighting against a dangerous camp of intolerant people," explained Fico, emphasizing that unity among the governing parties is the best answer to "anger, hatred and abnormality on fundamental issues of values and ethics".

Security expert: "This is a failure"
Former Slovakian police chief Stefan Hamran on Thursday criticized the security precautions taken during Fico's visit to Handlova in central Slovakia, where the prime minister was attacked by a gunman. Hamran referred to the video from April: "If I'm not mistaken, Fico himself spoke a few weeks ago about the danger that someone could shoot at politicians," he told the newspaper "Dennik N". He wondered who had analyzed this and assessed the threat situation. He also criticized the reaction after the shots were fired: "There was chaos there, that is obvious and that is a failure."

If four or five shots can be fired, then someone is to blame, then the personal security is probably not in order.

Sicherheitsexperte Zabojnik rügt Ficos Leibwächter

Juraj Zabojnik, the former head of the Slovakian bodyguard unit, also criticized the behaviour of the prime minister's bodyguards. "If four or five shots can be fired, then someone is to blame, then the bodyguards are probably not in order," he told the news channel TA3. He had not seen any of the bodyguards stand in front of the head of government. He expects a tough investigation into the incident, as the crowd in front of the House of Culture in Handlova was manageable. Corresponding investigations "for obstructing the duties of a public official" had already been initiated on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the authorities said on Thursday.

Dicey situation in every case
Fico was shot on Wednesday afternoon as he was shaking hands with supporters after a cabinet meeting. Ex-police officer and security adviser Lumir Nemec told the Czech newspaper "Blesk" that this was a very risky situation in any case, as anyone could have reached the cordon without being checked. "The bodyguards only have a minimal amount of time to react - and as soon as any mistake is made, it can have fatal consequences," said Nemec.

Risk assessment adjusted in Austria
The assassination attempt on Robert Fico has also heightened awareness in Austria. Risk assessments are carried out on a daily basis and adjusted accordingly, said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), on Thursday. In principle, however, such attacks can never be ruled out. The DSN has been warning of extremist, violent tendencies for months, explained Haijawi-Pirchner. Regardless of whether it is about politicians or others, such attacks can never be ruled out. For security reasons, the head of the DSN did not want to give details of the risk assessments for those affected.