Breaking news out of slovakia. An assaniation attempt on the Prime Minister of slovakia. Robert fitzo has been shot and injured an incident which happened earlier this afternoon. Theses pictures show the immidiate aftermath of the attack, with the Prime Minister being dragged into a car. His official Facebook Page says he was shot several times. From a different angle at the scene, we can see a man being arrested by people who appear to be police officers. We still dont know anything about the man being restrained. It is reported he is 71 years old. Does the pictures from his arrest. The government says Prime Minister fico is in a life threatening condition. These are pictures of him being rushed from a helipcopter to a nearby hospital for treatment. Being rushed from a helipcopter those being rushed from a helipcopter are the key eleme pictures those are the key elements, the key pictures in terms of what has happened through the past few hours. We saw in some of those pictures in open square, he was having a meeting inside of a building when he had come out and eyewitnesses describe what they heard and what they saw. Translation i heard three shots. It was quick, one by one, like if you throw firecrackers on the ground. I saw a scratch on the Prime Ministers head and then he fell next to the barrier. Its a nightmare. Russias Vladimir Putin in the last few minutes talking about what has happened to the slovak Prime Minister saying this hideous crime can have no justification for that that one of the sentence. Increasingly over the last few months greater ties between slovakia and russia. Let others try to actually go through the variety of questions and updates over this next 60 minutes. Lets head to bratislava, bethany bell is our correspondent they are. Just bring us right up to speed. What are you hearing officially about the condition of the Prime Minister, first of all . Were told hes in a life threatening condition after being shot several times. Reports say he was shot in the abdomen, inlaid, in the arm. Were waiting for confirmation as to the exact extent of his injuries. We understand that according to one hospital spokesperson when he arrived at the first hospital he was conscious. But then we got the message a little bit later from the government saying that he was in a life threatening condition. Here in bratislava there is a real sense of shock. 0ne Bratislava there is a real sense of shock. One man told me this sort of thing doesnt happen in this country. And people are waiting very much to hear what the extent of the investigations into this incident are. We saw that Video Footage of police trying to pin down a man, a bearded man, reports a 71 years old. He is thought to be the suspect but were waiting for confirmation on that. ,. ,. , were waiting for confirmation on that. ,. , that. Yes, that detail has been reported that. Yes, that detail has been reported we that. Yes, that detail has been reported. We will that. Yes, that detail has been reported. We will show that. Yes, that detail has been reported. We will show those i reported. We will show those pictures of the man being detained because weve been watching them over the last few hours. These the pictures of the Prime Minister being crushed by his Security Detail into the car. But you will see the camera arc around in the next few seconds because it ends up, here it is, a clutch of security personnel, bodyguards around the suspect a different angle coming in put up eventually you will see the same thing with a man pinned to the floor, his hands cuffed behind his back. As he is detained, he is arrested, 71 years old. That is all we know about the suspect. We wait for further detail about that. But bethany, we will talk about the politics and all of that in more detail in a moment. Just tell me more about the shock. I know that parliament was suspended, they were talking in the chamber about this being an attack on democracy right at the fundamentals with an attack on their Prime Minister in the streets in public. On their Prime Minister in the streets in public. Yes, its been widely condemned. Streets in public. Yes, its been widely condemned. There streets in public. Yes, its been widely condemned. There is streets in public. Yes, its been | widely condemned. There is this streets in public. Yes, its been widely condemned. There is this an enormous sense of shock that Something Like this could have happened here in slovakia. Robert fico is a populist politician but the people i have spoken to said nobody could imagine that Something Like this could be occurred. There has been widespread condemnation, not only here in slovakia but across europe from senior members of the european union, president putin, from ukrainian leader volodymyr zelensky. There has been a widespread absolute condemnation of this for the people are waiting on tender hooks to see what medical condition of robert fico. I suspect that may take condition of robert fico. I suspect that may take a condition of robert fico. I suspect that may take a wild condition of robert fico. I suspect that may take a wild to condition of robert fico. I suspect that may take a wild to get condition of robert fico. I suspect that may take a wild to get in that may take a wild to get in update if one assumes perhaps hes in surgery as were speaking. May take a while. We await to get information from hospital officials. We mentioned politics because absolutely weve had a sense of the last few hours as we talk to various politicians and those who Know Slovakia and politics well and they all point to the way that Society Politics has become so deeply divided they are. Politics has become so deeply divided they are. Very polarised indeed here divided they are. Very polarised indeed here in divided they are. Very polarised indeed here in slovakia. Divided they are. Very polarised indeed here in slovakia. Robert| divided they are. Very polarised indeed here in slovakia. Robert fico came to power, he returned to power last year and he returned to power on a message of stopping military aid to ukraine. This was something that voters responded to, hes always denied being pro russian. But it was very much the sense of you dont want to send any more money to ukraines military aid. It has to be said, back in 2018 he was Prime Minister previously but his political fortunes faded then when an investigative journalist was shot by a Contract Killer for investigating corruption. That led to a law of protests and robert fico was eventually forced to resign. He is a controversial figure. Was eventually forced to resign. He is a controversialfigure. As i say, what people are telling me here in bratislava is nobody couldve imagined that people, somebody would attempt to shoot him. Attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there. I attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there i will attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there. I will be attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there. I will be back attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there. I will be back to attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there. I will be back to you in attempt to shoot him. Bethany, stay there. I will be back to you in a there. I will be back to you in a while. Bethany describing some of the background in terms of the politicaljourney the background in terms of the political journey that robert the background in terms of the politicaljourney that robert fico has made over the last few decades. Lets spend the next few minutes looking at how he came to prominence in slovakia. Which was a soviet Satellite State what was known as the iron curtain. He studied law, Eventuallyjoining The Communist eventually joining the Communist PartyEventuallyjoining The Communist party in 1986. He continued his career in politics in left wing parties. He then founded his own as an er party, which translates into english as direction, social democracy. By 2006 as an er was the Biggest Single Party in terms of share of the vote at the general election. He became a Prime Minister leading Left Leaning Parties and stayed in power until 2010. He became Prime Minister again between 2012 and 2018 and took up the office once again in 2023 in terms of policy. He seen as being a populist internationalist. Saying he would not accept mandatory quotas. He condemned russias invasion of ukraine back in 2022 but has been critical of the eu sanctions against moscow. He is also opposed ukraine joining nato. That isjust some of his background. That is some of his politicaljourney. The president of slovakia has been speaking about what we have seen happen today. Lets have a quick lesson. Translation i am shocked have a quick lesson. Translation i am shocked. Everyone have a quick lesson. Translation i am shocked. Everyone is have a quick lesson. Translation i am shocked. Everyone is shocked have a quick lesson. Translation i i am shocked. Everyone is shocked from the attack on robert fico the seriousness of todays act is something that we cant fully comprehend. As a goal attack on Prime Ministers is first and foremost attack on a human being. It is an attack on democracy. Any form of violence is not acceptable. Hateful speech which were witnessing in our Society Leads to hateful acts. Witnessing in our Society Leads to hatefulacts. Please, witnessing in our Society Leads to hateful acts. Please, we need to make it stop. Police got the shooter and they will provide us with more information once possible. Until then we need to refrain from Making Quickjudgment and thinking about what matters the most and so robert fico makes a full recovery. Fico makes a full recovery. Slovakia is president fico makes a full recovery. Slovakia is president speaking fico makes a full recovery. Slovakia is president speaking in fico makes a full recovery. Slovakia is president speaking in the fico makes a full recovery. Slovakia is president speaking in the last is president speaking in the last hour. Lets speak live now. Thank you for being out on bbc news. I wonder if i can ask you whether youve heard three of various sources any sort of update about the Prime Minister. Were just waiting. We update about the Prime Minister. Werejust waiting. We have update about the Prime Minister. Were just waiting. We have a couple of sources at the hospital that he is being treated but we dont have any update other than he is in a life threatening situation. And were so as journalist trying to make sense of whatjust happened. And many of us the memories bring back the day after our colleague was murdered. And in the same way at that time we feel that this country is coming to a crossroad. And how serious and how earth shaking a trial is for this country. That serious and how earth shaking a trial is for this country. Trial is for this country. That is interesting trial is for this country. That is interesting thats trial is for this country. That is interesting thats what trial is for this country. That is interesting thats what it trial is for this country. That is interesting thats what it feels j interesting thats what it feels like earth shattering just as slovakian citizen, notjust a newspaper editor but thats what it feels like. Just give us a sense of the sort of conversations youve had with other people for the how they are viewing this. I with other people for the how they are viewing this. Are viewing this. I will start with my colleagues are viewing this. I will start with my colleagues. The are viewing this. I will start with my colleagues. The first are viewing this. I will start with i my colleagues. The First Response was worried. A lot of worry about how some of the political players might abuse this tragedy for their political goals. 0n the other hand, we also as journalists were thinking how to do even more to try to reconcile society. Because we had been feeling over the past couple of years how much hate is in society. Even i personally i notice that since the elections, the last election the volume of hate i was receiving in my mailbox or at messages was incomparably more and more intense than ever before. So we all after this tragedy, we all realize, it was almost palpable how much hate is in the society. And were with much worry they are following some of the first reactions that came from the ruling parties. We already heard that some politicians are blaming the media for the situation because they say that we were blindly attacking robert fico and this is the consequence. Its a very complicated situation for us. We also had to be careful not to rush into speculation about the population of the person who shot the Prime Minister. And we will really have to wait for the investigation to be able even to think about what led this person to attack the Prime Minister. Yes. Attack the Prime Minister. Yes, weve had attack the Prime Minister. Yes, weve had absolutely attack the Prime Minister. Yes, weve had absolutely no attack the Prime Minister. Yes, weve had absolutely no detail. There been reports he 71 years old but that is all that is been reported. All of us wait to find out more about that man. We see the pictures of him being detained. He is at an interesting thing about the initial political reaction in part that weve seen. I was talking a short while ago to a previous slovakian Prime Minister who said it is absolutely vital in the coming hours, the coming days that slovakias politics didnt actually put on a unified front im a go in front of cameras and say the same thing for the how likely do you think that is . I thing for the how likely do you think that is . Thing for the how likely do you think that is . ,. , � ,. , think that is . I worry that its not very likely think that is . I worry that its not very likely as think that is . I worry that its not very likely as i think that is . I worry that its not very likely. As i said, think that is . I worry that its not very likely. As i said, i think that is . I worry that its not very likely. As i said, i worry very likely. As i said, i worry about the ruling parties using this tragedy to be even harsher, to take even harsher approach to journalists. Even today they dont communicate with us. They are not responding to questions put up thats my worry. However, the First Press Conference ijust saw led by one of the major politicians of the ruling party. He actually said he made an appeal to the society to try to find the ground at which we can be more united and how we can reduce the hate which we all feel for the i also noticed that the Interior Minister also spoke in a similar tone that its so crucial that the society calms down and the politics returned to normal communications. 0ver returned to normal communications. Over the past couple of months the normal communications. When you listen to some of the Press Conferences, it was mostly attacking the political rival. In an almost aggressive way of sending messages to each other. That aggressive way of sending messages to each other to each other. That is what its been like to each other. That is what its been like over to each other. That is what its been like over the to each other. That is what its been like over the past to each other. That is what its been like over the past few. To each other. That is what its been like over the past few months. Just in terms of now as were speaking, who is in charge . Is it clear to people there who is actually in charge of the government, who is publicly putting out information, talking to journalists, talking to the public . Its still not completely clear. We have seen the president elect who had came to eight get back from a trip abroad, several members who were not at the place where robert fico was shot and trying to come to bratislava and get coordinated. Right now we dont have all the information we need of who will be information we need of who will be in charge. The Press Conference i mentioned, it was one of the key leaders of smer party. He was delivering messages but it is not certain if he will be the one taking over robert ficos responsibilities. We have to leave it. Thank you so much forjoining us live on the program. Thank you for giving us a sense of how this news is being seen where you are for the and all the while over the past few hours, as soon as we had that Breaking News, the pictures, weve had reactions from world leaders. The latestjust coming in, the un Secretary General also condemning what he describes as also condemning what he describes as a shocking attack on slovakia does Prime Minister, thatjust coming from the un, adding his voice to all the other voices weve heard over the other voices weve heard over the last few hours. We will have more on that breaking story here on the Programme Ina programme in a minute or two. Around the world and across the uk. This is bbc news. You are live with bbc news. Live with Breaking News coming into us over the las