Juraj Cintula, who shot Slovak Prime Minister Fico, explained his action: he wanted to change Slovakia’s policy, including in relation to Ukraine.
As he writes Slovak edition Pravda, he stated during interrogation that he did not want to kill Fico, but only to “harm his health” so that he could not continue to pursue a policy with which the shooter did not agree. The pre-trial report published by the newspaper said: Tsintula claimed that he felt “powerless and disappointed with the state of society” after the decisions of the Fico government and “did not agree with the policies of the current government” – in particular, with the abolition of the Special Prosecutor's Office and pressure on independent media.
Chintula regrets his action, writes Pravda, in the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) he said that he should not have shot, but handed Prime Minister Fico the book that he had prepared for him. He said that he seeks to resume “military assistance to Ukraine” from Slovakia and “considers the current government to be a Judas in relation to the European Union,” so he “decided to act.”
One witness quoted in the court document claimed that he heard Tsintula say “hostile and spiteful things” about Robert Fico, and that “he was concerned about the way he was acting towards Russia and Hungary, what he had with They have a good relationship.”
The attacker of the Slovak prime minister, according to court materials, acted independently, without accomplices. He began planning the attack on Fico on May 13, using a Czech-made 9-mm CZ 75 pistol, which he legally owned.
Subsequently, Tsintula also stated that he learned that day on the radio that a government meeting would be held in Khandlov on May 15. “At 11.20. “He got into his car, taking with him a pistol and two magazines, each magazine containing about 10 rounds of ammunition, and drove to Handlova alone, where he arrived at about 12:20, having waited in the square for about an hour until the government left the House of Culture,” the document says.
The report states that Chintula added: he is not going to run away and will not in any way interfere with the progress of the criminal case. “Which he confirms in writing in his promise, which he submits in writing,” the resolution says. As for the reason for the detention, he also stated in the submitted promise that he would never again resolve his “helplessness and frustration with the state of society by physically attacking anyone.” The document also states:
“He has already achieved what he wanted. He realizes that he acted completely inappropriately; he should not have harmed the victim. He had to give him the book he had prepared for him. But he repeats that he knows how to shoot and aimed so as not to endanger the life of the victim. He was also very careful not to accidentally endanger any of the crowd or guards. He apologizes for his actions to the victim, which he is ready to tell him personally during the proceedings, if he has the opportunity, and if not, he will definitely apologize to him in writing.”
Extremely dangerous and decisive – this is how the prosecutor assessed the action of Juraj Chintula in court. His goal was revenge, and although he repeats that he did not want to kill anyone, he simply wanted to “harm the health” of Prime Minister Robert Fico so that he would not be able to perform the functions of prime minister, he planned his action within two days.
Last Wednesday, as our publication reported, Prime Minister Fico shot several times 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula after a government meeting in the city of Gandlova. Fico remains conscious and able to communicate, and his condition is improving, the hospital said earlier. The judge remanded Tsintula in custody, ruling there was a risk he would try to attack Fico again. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Fico underwent two operations in a hospital in Banska Bystrica, where he is still staying. His condition is “serious but stable”, hospital authorities said on Thursday (May 23).
You can read more about the motives for the assassination attempt and the testimony of witnesses Here.
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