Suspect in shooting of Slovakia's populist leader Fico stands trial on terror charges

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — A man went on trial Tuesday over last year's attempted assassination of Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Juraj Cintula, appearing in court in the central city of Banská Bystrica, has been indicted on terror charges.

''Long live democracy, long live free culture,'' Cintula shouted as he arrived at the Specialized Criminal Court.

The 72-year-old is accused of opening fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlová, located 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital.

Cintula was immediately arrested and was ordered by a court to remain behind bars. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.

Fico was shot in the abdomen and was transported to a hospital in nearby Banská Bystrica. He underwent a five-hour surgery, followed by another two-hour surgery two days later. He has since recovered.

The defendant refused to testify at the court but confirmed that what he told investigators about his motive was true.

In testimony read by a prosecutor at the trial, Cintula said he disagreed with the government's policies, including the cancellation of a special prosecution office dealing with corruption, the end of military help for Ukraine and the government's approach to culture ''I decided to harm the health of the prime minister but I had no intention to kill anyone.''

Cintula originally was charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors later dropped that charge and said they were instead pursuing the more serious charge of engaging in a terror attack, based on evidence the investigators obtained, but they gave no further details.

Government officials initially said that they believed it was a politically motivated attack committed by a ''lone wolf,'' but announced later that a third party might have been involved in ''acting for the benefit of the perpetrator.''

Fico previously said he ''had no reason to believe'' that it was an attack by a lone deranged person and repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt.

Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. He returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message.

His critics have charged that Slovakia under Fico has abandoned its pro-Western course and is following the direction of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Fico's pro-Russian stance and other policies.