Slovak court gives 21-year jail term to man who shot PM
BANSKA BYSTRICA
A Slovak court on Tuesday sentenced a gunman who shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico last year to 21 years in prison.
Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old poet, shot the nationalist and Kremlin-friendly Fico four times at close range on May 15, 2024, leaving him seriously wounded.
The attack occurred after a government meeting in the central Slovak mining town of Handlova as Fico walked into the street to greet supporters.
Cintula, who was detained at the scene, has said he shot Fico with the intention to wound but not kill him.
But the court found him guilty on "terror" charges, sentencing him to 21 years in a maximum-security jail.
Cintula acted "with a motivation to stop a proper functioning the government," said judge Igor Kralik reading out the verdict.
Cintula appeared calm as the verdict was read out, looking away from the packed room.
His lawyer Namir Alyasry told reporters after the hearing that he would "most likely appeal" the verdict.
The trial, at a special penal court in the central city of Banska Bystrica, began in July.
Fico himself did not testify but he gave a video statement to investigators after the attack, which was played in court.
Prosecutors originally charged Cintula with premeditated murder but they later reclassified the shooting as a "terror" attack, citing his political motivation.
"It was worth it," local media quoted Cintula as shouting as he left court earlier this month after giving his closing trial statement.
