"Aimed like this"

Assassin (71) “only wanted to hurt” Fico

The 71-year-old assassin at the time of his arrest

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/AFP/RTVS)

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico fought for his life for days after the assassination attempt on his life the previous week. Now details from the interrogation of the 71-year-old assassin Juraj C. have been leaked. He is said to have emphasized to investigators that he "only wanted to hurt" the head of government. The writer has also reportedly shown remorse and wants to apologize to Fico personally.

The Slovakian television station Markiza obtained the interrogation transcript and quoted this explosive information from it. According to the information, C. made the decision to shoot the prime minister two days before the government meeting of Fico's cabinet. Incidentally, the 71-year-old legally owned his weapon, a CZ 75b pistol with a caliber of 9mm, as he had also previously worked as a security guard on the side.

"Deliberately aimed so as not to endanger Fico's life"
On the day of the retreat, C. went to Handlova, where he parked his car in a shopping center. He then marched to the House of Culture, where he mingled with the waiting supporters of the left-wing populist head of government and waited. When he appeared in public for a brief chat, C. pulled the trigger. During the interrogation, the 71-year-old emphasized that he had "deliberately aimed so that I would not endanger Fico's life or that of other people". After all, he knew how to handle weapons.

Bodyguards take the seriously injured prime minister to his limousine while the security forces overpower the assassin.

(Bild: APA/AFP/RTVS)

He said he regretted his actions and wanted to apologize personally to the assassination victim - either verbally during the upcoming court case or in a letter. The motive? He did not agree with Fico's policies - including his approach to the country's media and his pro-Russian stance.

C. was not a member of a radical group, but he had xenophobic and revolutionary views, which he also expressed on social media and in his books and poems. "The most important things for him were freedom of speech and freedom of opinion," said his neighbor and companion Mile L. a few days ago during a "Krone" local inspection at the 71-year-old's home.

Defense Minister Robert Kalinak has taken over government duties on an interim basis.

(Bild: APA/AFP/TOMAS BENEDIKOVIC)

Did the assassin have supporters?
It is still unclear whether C. had supporters in the background. Defense Minister Robert Kalinak does not rule this out, as he suspects that the assassin's Facebook page was modified by someone before it was deactivated.