Slovak court sentences poet that shot PM to 21 years for terror attack'

"The Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica convicted and sentenced 72-year-old Juraj Cintula on Tuesday, saying he had acted with a motivation to stop a proper functioning of the government in a particularly serious crime. Cintula, a poet from Levice in western Slovakia, shot Fico four times at close range on May 15, 2024 as the premier left a government meeting in central Slovakia. He later claimed he was driven by moral despair."

"Prosecutors originally charged Cintula with premeditated murder, but they later reclassified the shooting as a terror attack, citing his political motivation. Critics have said that since the shooting, the populist Fico has become increasingly divisive, accelerating his alignment of Slovakia's foreign policy with Russia, increasing criticism of the European Union, and implementing authoritarian and hardline conservative policy. It was worth it, local media quoted Cintula as shouting as he left court earlier this month after giving his closing trial statement."

The Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica convicted and sentenced 72-year-old Juraj Cintula to 21 years for a politically motivated terror attack after he shot Prime Minister Robert Fico four times on May 15, 2024. Fico was seriously wounded but returned to work two months later. Prosecutors reclassified the charge from premeditated murder to a terror attack citing political motivation. Cintula told police he acted from moral despair and to protest government actions, including halting military aid to Ukraine, and later shouted that it was worth it outside court. The populist government blamed opposition and critical media for spreading hatred, while critics say Fico has become more divisive and aligned Slovakia with Russia.

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