Attacking Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico ‘may not have been a lone wolf’

The man suspected of trying to assassinate Prime Minister Robert Fico may not have been working alone, the Slovak interior minister said.

Matos Sutaj Istok told reporters on Sunday that a team was investigating the possibility that Wednesday’s attack was not carried out by a “lone wolf”, as previously thought.

His deputy said earlier that Mr Fico’s life was no longer in danger hours after surgery, but the 59-year-old still required intensive care.

On Saturday, the man accused of attempted murder was remanded in custody until his trial.

The name of the alleged assailant has not been officially revealed, but Slovak reports have widely identified him as 71-year-old Juraj Sintola from the town of Léves.

Local media described him as a poet who participated in political organizations with different ideologies.

At a press conference on Sunday, Istok said an investigation team had been formed, which would also look into whether the suspect “was working within a certain group of people who may have incited and supported each other.”

He said this was based on information from intelligence services, including that two hours after the attack, and after the suspect was arrested, his Facebook history and communications were deleted.

The day after the assassination attempt, Istok said in a press conference that the suspect had acted alone and had previously participated in anti-government protests.

Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinac said Fico’s life was no longer in danger.

Kalinak told reporters that his condition still requires intensive care, but “the worst that we feared, at least for the time being, has passed.”

“We can consider his condition stable with a positive diagnosis,” he said outside the hospital where Fiko is being treated in the city of Banska Bystrica. “We all feel more comfortable now.”

He added that Mr. Fico will remain at Banska Bystrica for the time being, with no transfer possible in the near future due to his condition.

The Prime Minister was shot at close range while welcoming supporters after a government meeting in the small town of Handlova.

Interior Minister Matos Sutaj Stock said that if one of the bullets had gone up just a few centimetres, it would have hit the prime minister’s liver.

The attack left Slovakia in a state of severe shock. On Thursday, outgoing Slovak President Zuzana Caputova called for calm and invited all party leaders to a meeting to discuss the political tension.

Fico returned to power in Slovakia after the elections that took place last September at the head of a nationalist populist coalition.

Mr. Fico was then forced to step down, amid massive protests.

His reelection was a major comeback achieved on a platform that included promises to end military aid to Kiev and veto Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, as well as other talks more reminiscent of Moscow than Brussels.