Slovak Would-be Assassin May Not Have Acted Alone, Government Says

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The Slovak government claimed Sunday that Juraj Cintula, the near-assassin of Prime Minister Robert Fico, may not have acted alone. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok stated Sunday the assassination attempt “may have been committed by a certain group of people.” He didn’t specify who this group could be.

Cintula shot Fico on May 15 after the prime minister attended a cabinet meeting in the town of Handolvá. Cintula, an amateur poet, reportedly shot Fico because he was against the government’s policy on Ukraine and media freedom.

Cintula apparently used to affiliate with the Slovak Conscripts, a private militia founded in part by Russian military intelligence. Fico had a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and if this militia had anything to do with the assassination it is unknown at this point.

Slovakia borders Ukraine and the war has been extremely polarizing. But Fico’s shooting is an extreme microcosm of the tension in Europe between top-heavy elites and citizens willing to take matters into their own hands. The Trumpet expects crises like this to continue to barrage Europe until the people turn to a radical solution.