Suspect in shooting of Slovakian PM faces charge of terrorist attack

The man detained over the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will face prosecution on the charge of carrying out a terrorist attack, Slovakia's general prosecutor said on Thursday.

Fico is recovering after being shot four times at close range when he greeted supporters at a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova in mid-May. That left him needing hours of surgery.

A man identified by prosecutors as 71-year-old Juraj C. was detained on the spot after the attack and charged with attempted premeditated murder.

"Based on the gathered evidence, the prosecuted act will be further legally qualified as the particularly serious crime of terrorist attack," General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka said on Facebook on Thursday, without providing further details.

The accused, if found guilty, could face life in prison under the new classification, according to Slovakia's criminal laws. Previously he had faced 25 years of life in prison.

Reuters