Slovak Media Explores Ukrainian Link to Fico Assassination Attempt
01:25 GMT 22.05.2024 (Updated: 06:28 GMT 22.05.2024)
© AP Photo / Geert Vanden WijngaertSlovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico arrives to a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024.
© AP Photo / Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Subscribe
Last week, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times after a gunman fired five shots in his direction. He was rushed to the hospital where he remains in stable but critical condition. He is expected to survive.
Elements of the Slovak media are starting to whisper about a potential Ukrainian connection to the alleged assassin who attempted to kill Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico last week.
Initially, it was reported that the alleged shooter, 71-year-old pensioner Juraj Cintula acted as a “lone wolf” when he shot the prime minister four times, nearly killing him. However, authorities in Slovakia announced that they are now considering the “more likely” scenario that he was working with a group.
“It seems more likely the attack was coordinated with some group,” Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj-Eštok said on Slovakian television on Tuesday. “We are working with the fact that it was not a lone attacker, but that something was going on behind it, which we are trying to clarify.”
The comments came after Slovak authorities revealed that Cintula’s Facebook* communications and history were deleted four hours after the attack and that he nor his wife, described as “tech-illiterate” did it.
Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kaliňák said that the shooter was communicating with an online community and told them of their plans, but it is unclear if the community was intended to be humorous or nefarious, he said some users mocked Cintula's plan.
A woman suspected to be Cintula’s wife was seen in the custody of police, though it is not clear from reports if she was detained or was being held for her protection. Her name has not been published. Rumors have swirled about her, but Slovakian authorities have not confirmed their veracity, citing the ongoing investigation.
Slovakian media outlets have started to ponder if the country that has the most reason to be angry at Fico could be involved. Fico was elected on a promise to end his country’s aid to Ukraine, a campaign promise he fulfilled once he was elected.
“The previous Slovakian government [before Fico] was fully onboard [with Ukraine aid]. They sent hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons, airplanes, tanks, artillery - everything they had, they just shipped it over, no questions asked,” explained journalist Nebojsa Malic on Sputnik’s Fault Lines. “When Fico came to power last fall and he's like, nope, I'm stopping this and he did.”
Writing in SIA News, columnist Lucas Leiroz called for an investigation into outside involvement. “It is necessary to investigate whether there was international involvement and whether foreign agents financed the attack or influenced it in any way. Knowing that there are groups interested in removing Fico, it is possible that there is a large conspiracy behind the cause,” Leiroz wrote (translated from Slovak), noting the terrorist attacks suspected of being linked to Ukraine, like the Crocus City Hall massacre and the bombing of Russia’s embassy in Brazil.
Leiroz also notes that world leaders who have opposed funding Ukraine have found themselves on the notorious “Mirotvorets” Ukrainian kill list, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“Knowing that Kiev openly wants to kill ‘pro-Russian’ politicians, Slovak authorities must expand their investigation beyond the country's borders,” Leiroz concluded.
Leiroz was not alone in suggesting that the shooter was influenced by an outside group. Writing for Slovakian outlet Skspravy, Norwegian analyst Stephen Karganovic blamed “globalists” and “Project Ukraine” for the shooting, noting that the “lone wolf” theory echoed the official narrative of the assassination of US President John F Kennedy.
“We may soon see how this horrific Jack Ruby-type explanation plays out as the Slovak authorities press their investigation,” he warned (translated).
Jack Ruby was convicted of assassinating Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged “lone gunman” who was arrested for shooting JFK but died before he could stand trial.
“As the position of the collective West crumbles, any European leaders who might consider missteps or advancing the interests of their nations before dutifully following orders have been put on notice,” Karganovic argues.
If there is a connection found between Cintula and Ukraine, it would undoubtedly have massive implications for the world stage, potentially upending NATO.
“It would be sort of ironic and hilarious at the same time if Bratislava invokes Article Five [which requires NATO to protect an ally that is attacked] and says, ‘We were attacked by Ukraine. Will NATO help protect us?’” Malic wondered. “NATO would be obligated to do something, but this is the same alliance that's arming Ukraine to the teeth.”