Slovakia's Supreme Court sentences PM Fico assailant

Slovakia's Supreme Court upheld on Wednesday a 21-year jail sentence for a man ​who shot at Prime Minister Robert ‌Fico two years ago, rejecting his appeal against terrorism charges, Slovak media reported.

A Slovak court last ​October ruled that Juraj Cintula, now ​73, was guilty of terrorism charges for ⁠shooting at Fico five times from a ​close distance while the prime minister greeted ​a crowd in a central Slovak town in May 2024.

"The planning of the attack, combined with the ​knowledge that he was attacking the prime ​minister, indicates that he must have been aware of ‌the ⁠negative effect on the functioning of government power," online news website Dennik N quoted Judge Petr Kana as saying in the ​court's justification.

The ​Supreme Court's ⁠verdict is final, TASR news agency said.

The court did not reply ​to a request for comment.

The 2024 ​attack, ⁠which pointed to deep political polarisation in the central European country of 5.4 million ⁠people, ​left Fico in a critical ​condition but he later recovered and returned to work.

-Reuters