Slovak prime minister in stable condition after surgery for gunshot wounds

The update on Robert Fico’s health was issued as the man accused of attempting to assassinate him made his first court appearance, according to Slovak state media.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s condition was serious but stable Saturday as the man accused of trying to assassinate him faced his first court appearance.

Surgery that took two hours Friday to remove dead tissue from Fico’s multiple gunshot wounds led to an optimistic outlook for his recovery, but he was not healthy enough to travel to a hospital in the capital, Bratislava, government ministers said outside University F. D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystric, where Fico was taken by helicopter after the shooting.

“Several miracles have occurred … in the past few days, coming from the hands of the doctors, nurses and entire medical staff,” Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said. “I can’t find words of gratitude for the fact that we are steadily approaching that positive prognosis.”

Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters following a government meeting Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova, officials said. The suspect fired five rounds before being tackled to the ground and arrested.

The update on Fico’s health was issued as the man accused of attempting to assassinate him made his first court appearance, according to Slovak state media.

Prosecutors were seeking an order from Slovakia’s Specialized Criminal Court to detain the suspect.

Prosecutors told police not to publicly identify the man or release other details about the case, but unconfirmed media reports said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard in the country’s southwest.

Government authorities gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn’t belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated.