BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) 鈥� Slovakia鈥檚 Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the ruling of a lower court that convicted a man of a terrorist attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison for the country鈥檚 populist Prime Minister almost two years ago.
Juraj Cintula, 73, opened fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlov谩, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital of Bratislava.
Cintula was arrested immediately after the attack and . He claimed his motive for the shooting was that he disagreed with government policies but rejected the accusation of being a 鈥渢errorist.鈥� He said he wanted to harm Fico but not to kill him.
Cintula said he disagreed with Fico鈥檚 policies including the dealing with corruption and .
and appealed.
Wednesday鈥檚 ruling is final.
Fico was shot in the abdomen and underwent a five-hour surgery, followed by a two-hour operation two days later. He has since recovered.
Fico has been a divisive figure . His pro-Russian and other policies have .
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
