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The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will remain in detention, a court has decided, as the nation's leader remains in a serious condition after surviving multiple gunshots.
Mr Fico, 59, was attacked as he greeted supporters following a government meeting on Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova. The suspect was tackled to the ground and arrested.
Prosecutors successfully sought an order from Slovakia's Specialised Criminal Court to continue detaining the suspect, during his first court appearance on Saturday.
They also told police not to publicly identify the suspect or release other details about the case, but unconfirmed media reports said he was a 71-year-old retiree with a reputation as an amateur poet, who may have once worked as a mall security guard in the country's south-west.
Government authorities gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn't belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was indeed politically motivated.
The courthouse in Pezinok, a small town outside the capital, Bratislava, was guarded by officers wearing balaclavas and carrying rifles.
News media were not allowed in the courthouse, and reporters were kept behind a gate outside.
Police on Friday had taken the suspect to his home in the town of Levice and seized a computer and some documents, Markiza, a Slovak television station reported. Police would neither confirm or deny this.
Mr Fico underwent another round of surgery on Friday to remove dead tissue from his body, said Miriam Lapuníková, director of the FD Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Mr Fico was taken by helicopter after he was shot.
He also underwent a CT scan, and was awake and stable in an intensive care unit following the surgery. Ms Lapuníková described his condition as "very serious".
Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said the prime minister's condition still makes it impossible to transport him to the capital, Bratislava.
"Several miracles have occurred in Banská Bystrica in recent days coming from the hands of doctors, nurses and the personnel at the Roosevelt Hospital," Mr Kalinak said.
World leaders have condemned the attack and offered support for Mr Fico, who has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond.
His return to power last year on a pro-Russia, anti-American platform led to worries among fellow European Union and NATO members that he would abandon his country's pro-Western course, particularly on Ukraine.
At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Slovakia was one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, but Mr Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his fourth time serving as prime minister.
His government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting — a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio.
That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that he will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path, and thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country to protest his policies.
Mr Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and he blamed the media for fuelling tensions.
Before he returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged.
AP