Slovakia's Supreme Court upholds 21-year sentence for PM Fico's attacker


Juraj Cintula, accused of the 2024 attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, gets into a car with security officials after the verdict on the final day of his trial, at the Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa / File Photo

April 29 (Reuters) - 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.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet in PragueEditing by Gareth Jones)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Lockerbie bombing trial postponed by US judge days before start
U.S. stocks close mixed as chip stocks sink
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS withdraws from Eurovision 2027 over concerns about neutrality
Wildfires intensify in Colombia amid El Nino conditions
Seoul says South Korea and US vow close cooperation on North Korea
Trump administration plans to revoke visas of foreigners seeking asylum
US Supreme Court hands a win to Trump over mail-in ballot restrictions
Canadian politicians sharpen tone over U.S. tariffs
Feature: Polish farmers find cheer in harvest despite tough growing season
Minimum wage in Slovakia to rise to 972 euros per month in 2027

Others Also Read