A Slovak court on Tuesday sentenced Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old poet and activist, to 21 years in prison for terrorism after he shot Prime Minister Robert Fico.  Cintula’s attorney told journalists after the trial that they will appeal the verdict to the Slovak Supreme Court. In May 2024, Cintula joined a gathering of Fico supporters before firing five shots at the Slovak prime minister with a pistol from close range. Fico survived the attack after emergency surgery. In a message after the shooting, he publicly forgave the attacker and blamed the Slovak opposition for fueling the political climate that led to the attack. Cintula reportedly told police he didn’t intend to kill Fico, but only to injure him so he could no longer serve as the country’s leader. Cintula disagreed on Fico’s Ukraine policy, among other political issues.  He was initially charged with attempted murder, but prosecutors later upgraded the charge to terrorism. He faced 25 years behind bars, but received a shorter sentence due to his age. Fico did not attend the trial himself and was represented by his attorney.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico received an envelope containing a bullet from an unknown sender, the government said Wednesday. The matter has now been referred to Slovakia’s police force, the government’s press department told POLITICO. The threat follows an attempted assassination of Fico in May that shocked Europe and exposed Slovakia’s deeply polarized society. The man who shot Fico was identified as 71-year-old Juraj Cintula, who said he disagreed with the current government’s politics. He currently remains in custody, facing terrorism charges and from 25 years to life in prison. Fico underwent several surgeries after sustaining life-threatening injuries in the shooting. He blamed the attack on the opposition in his first video appearance after being shot. Critics say Fico’s government has been taking pages from the Hungarian playbook, targeting the media, the country’s corruption-fighting institutions and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as echoing Kremlin talking points on the Ukraine war. Seb Starcevic contributed to this report.