Slovak PM Fico's attacker convicted of terrorism, jailed for 21 years

By Jan Lopatka

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (Reuters) -A Slovak court ruled on Tuesday that a man who shot and wounded Prime Minister Robert Fico last year was guilty of terrorism charges and handed him a 21-year jail sentence.

Juraj Cintula, 72, shot at Fico five times from just over a one-metre distance as the prime minister greeted people in the central Slovak town of Handlova in May 2024.

The verdict of the Specialised Criminal Court in the city of Banska Bystrica closes a trial that began in July and whose main question was whether Cintula, who admitted shooting Fico, was guilty of terrorism or less serious crimes of murder or attack.

Fico, 61, was struck four times and was seriously injured in his abdomen, and also suffered injuries to his hip, hand and foot. He made his first public appearance in July last year, a few months after the attack and returned to work shortly after.

DEEP DIVISIONS IN SLOVAK SOCIETY

Cintula appeared in court in a blue shirt and black hooded sweatshirt, accompanied by guards with automatic weapons. He has said he wanted to hurt but not kill Fico, because he wanted to stop him from continuing his policies which he said damaged Slovak freedom and culture.

Cintula told reporters when leaving court on Tuesday he would "for sure" appeal the verdict. "It was unjust," he said.

The shooting laid bare deep divisions in Slovak society, and animosity between the populist Fico and the opposition. Fico, who has held power for 11 years over three stints since 2006, has blamed the mostly liberal, pro-EU opposition for fostering a climate of anger that led to the shooting.

The opposition accuses Fico of eroding democratic standards, media freedom, and covering up corruption.

Judge Igor Kralik cited Cintula's own reasoning for the attack when reading his justification for the terrorism count.

"The court considers proven that the defendant did not attack a citizen but specifically the prime minister," Kralik said.

The sentence was less than the maximum of life in prison.

The defence counsel for Cintula, a pensioner and former mine worker, stonemason, writer and public activist, argued that not every attack on an official was terrorism. It had sought a lesser sentence for an attack on a public official.

FICO HAS SOUGHT BETTER TIES WITH MOSCOW

David Lindtner, a lawyer for Fico, said it was clear that the defendant was "no pensioner but a terrorist" who wanted to set a precedent that "political confrontation should be resolved by violent means".

Fico returned to power in 2023 and ended state military assistance to Ukraine, sought better ties with Moscow, overhauled the public broadcaster and introduced some new criminal codes - changes critics say hurt democracy.

Cintula has said he opposed the prime minister's policies on Ukraine, media and culture and at his trial described the attack as a "scream against fear that is paralysing the society".

Fico, who has suffered ongoing health problems related to the shooting, has said he has forgiven Cintula.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka, additional reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Ros Russell)