FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
An assassination attempt against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico shocked the whole of Europe yesterday.
Central and Eastern European politicians often travel with "little security" that separates them from members of the general public.
But people fear that such lax security led to the "Franz Ferdinand assassination" of Slovakia, bringing us one step closer to the imminent threat of World War III, foreign media write.
Social media is already abuzz with comments from people comparing the assassination of the pro-Putin politician to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, which sparked World War I exactly one month later.
One asked: "Is anyone else seeing the Franz Ferdinand climate here?"
Another speculated that they might be 'surprised to find themselves fighting in the trenches a year from now' if we 'ignore this news'.
It is the first time in three decades since the fall of communism that Slovakia has been rocked by political violence.
Now in his third term as prime minister, the populist politician has always been divisive with his links to corruption, opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and support for Vladimir Putin.
Originally a member of the Communist Party, Robert Fico has been an MP since the 1990s and a dominant figure in politics for 20 years.
A "talented lawyer," he was a "young, semi-reformer" before Slovakia's Velvet Revolution toppled the regime in 1989, according to Kevin Deegan-Krause, a professor at Wayne State University.
A 71-year-old local man fired several shots at Fico after shouting 'Robo, come here' while the politician was talking to people.
An elderly man who witnessed the shooting said: "I was just about to shake his hand."
The suspect was caught and laid on the ground and security guards were seen loading the injured prime minister into a car that took him away from the scene.
He was then transported by helicopter to the hospital in Banska Bystrica, injured and passed the risk for life.
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