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Fico shooter reportedly filmed by police, but leak probe quietly ends
The Grand Prix winning photo of the chaos following the attempted assassination of PM Robert Fico in Handlová in May 2024. (source: TASR - Radovan Stoklasa)
The investigation into the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico has concluded without charges against his security team, despite expert criticism and damning video footage.
Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old pensioner, fired five shots at Fico on 15 May 2024 in Handlová. Three of the bullets struck the prime minister, causing life-threatening injuries. The attack unfolded in just three seconds before the gunman was swiftly subdued.
The Interior Ministry’s police inspectorate, responsible for investigating alleged misconduct by police officers, launched a probe into whether the prime minister’s bodyguards had failed in their duties. However, the inspectorate has since closed the case, stating that no crime had occurred, according to the news website Aktuality.sk. “The investigator concluded that the alleged offence did not happen,” said the Trenčín regional prosecutor’s office.
This conclusion comes despite a report by the Office for the Protection of Constitutional Officials, which found the bodyguard’s response inadequate. The prime minister had changed his plans and approached members of the public, catching his team off guard. His personal guard reportedly stepped aside instinctively rather than shielding him.
Meanwhile, a separate investigation into the leak of a 21-second video showing Cintula moments after the attack has been suspended. Widely circulated on Telegram, the footage shows Cintula explaining his motives and criticising the government’s policies. Investigators failed to identify a suspect who could be formally charged. According to initial assumptions, the video was filmed by a police officer who likely shared it further.
Another inquiry continues into the leak of a hospital record detailing Fico’s medical condition. Authorities say the source of this breach also remains unidentified, though this investigation has not been closed.
Opposition: The extra-parliamentary Demokrati party claims to possess a document suggesting a senior police officer filmed the prime suspect in last year’s shooting of Prime Minister Fico. According to the document, senior police officer Juraj F., shortly after the 15 May 2024 attack, allegedly recorded suspect Juraj Cintula, photographed his ID card, and forwarded both to his superior, the head of the state protection service Pavol Krejčí, as well as Krejčí’s two deputies. Krejčí was appointed by Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok. “Who is Šutaj Eštok protecting?” asked Demokrati chair and former defence minister Jaroslav Naď at a press conference on Tuesday, alleging the video and ID were leaked for political purposes. Naď further claimed that officer Juraj F., who at the time led operational activities within the protection service, had since received a payoff – transferred to an intelligence agency in return for silence. The leak is under the remit of the police inspectorate, now headed by Branislav Zurian, a controversial figure accused in the past of leaking confidential police information. Zurian was appointed to the post after Fico’s return to power.
Demokrati chair Jaroslav Naď (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
Interior minister: Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, of the Hlas party, has denied interfering in the investigation being conducted by the police inspectorate. (TASR)
Fico’s clothes: The Demokrati party has also released information suggesting that, according to an official police record, an officer was tasked with collecting evidence following the assassination attempt – including Prime Minister Robert Fico’s clothing. At the press conference, Naď questioned how this account aligns with a recent claim by Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, who said he personally removed Fico’s bloodstained shirt and bullet-pierced jacket from the scene in Handlová and delivered them to the National Crime Agency. “Is the official record false, or is Robert Kaliňák – the eternal liar – once again misleading the public?” Naď asked. He added that if Kaliňák had indeed handled the evidence, he would have broken the law.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR
Fiscal spiral: Slovakia’s deficit has surged to 5.3 percent of GDP, as government handouts push public finances deeper into the red.
Perks: Police bosses have been given “luxury hotel rooms” in Bratislava for as little as €10 a month.
Solemn farewell: Slovak leaders remember Pope Francis as a humble guide who brought compassion, clarity and courage to a divided world.
Moral authority: Even in planning his own funeral, Pope Francis sent a quiet but radical message to the powerful: lead with humility, or not at all.
Stalled: Slovakia’s job market is hitting a wall as demographic decline and poor policy choices leave employers scrambling to fill tens of thousands of vacancies.
Dry days: Bratislava’s Old Town faces a 30-hour water outage as part of urgent reservoir upgrades – check if your street is on the list.
Coaching legend: Natália Hejková bows out of EuroLeague Women with her sixth title – and an unbeaten finals record.
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EXPLORE THE WORLD
Embassies in Bratislava serve more than just visas
French Day in Bratislava, 2022. (source: Facebook/Institut français de Slovaquie - Francúzsky inštitút na Slovensku)
Bratislava isn’t just a gateway to Vienna — it’s a world of its own. With dozens of embassies, cultural centres and international events, the city lets you travel the globe one festival at a time.
EU RANKING
Slovakia’s deficit among EU’s worst
Slovakia recorded the fourth-highest public finance deficit in the EU last year, trailing only Romania, France and Poland, according to Eurostat data. With its debt rising, the Finance Ministry is preparing a third consolidation package. But economist Michal Lehuta warns that slowing economic growth and a looming trade war could lower tax revenues and derail this year’s deficit target of 4.7 percent of GDP. Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický may face further spending cuts or tax hikes. From autumn, strict debt brake rules will also return, requiring a balanced budget proposal.
IN OTHER NEWS
Fewer than a third of eligible clients of VšZP, Slovakia’s state-owned health insurance company, underwent a preventive check-up with their GP last year, and participation in cancer screening programmes remains alarmingly low, according to new data. Just 12.5 percent responded to colon cancer screening invitations, despite nearly 400 cases being diagnosed through the programme in 2024. “If everyone invited had taken part, we could have detected over 1,900 cases,” warned VšZP CEO Matúš Jurových, adding that thousands of Slovaks may be living with undiagnosed cancer.
The case of Daniel Bombic, accused of spreading extremist content, could set a key precedent in how Slovakia defines the limits of free speech, said the Government Office. The Government Office also stressed that Bombic is receiving high-quality legal representation — though it failed to mention that he is being represented by Prime Minister Robert Fico’s adviser and a firm co-owned by Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák. It also expressed “a certain astonishment and doubt” over the conduct of the investigator and prosecutor, claiming they only took action after so-called anti-government media reported on Bombic’s activities. Smer MEP Ľuboš Blaha also came to Bombic’s defence on Telegram, drawing swift criticism from the Slovak Anti-Fascist Movement. The group accused Blaha of legitimising extremist rhetoric.
Slovakia marked a strong year for investment and trade in 2024, with its national investment agency SARIO reporting a 12 percent rise in completed investment projects and support for hundreds of exporters. In its annual report, the agency said it closed 28 deals worth €1.7 billion — a 38 percent increase compared to 2023 — with a focus on e-mobility and high-value tech. Most projects will land outside the Bratislava Region, as investors increasingly target areas with higher unemployment and fewer saturated labour markets.
The nationwide celebrations marking the end of the Second World War will take place on 8 May at the airfield in Piešťany, the Defence Ministry announced on social media.
The flags of the Slovak Republic and the European Union are flown at half-mast in front of Bratislava Castle on Tuesday, 22 April 2025, in mourning for the death of Pope Francis. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
Slovakia’s Slovensko je Európa (Slovakia is Europe) protests are set to continue, with the tenth demonstration planned for Thursday, 24 April, and Friday, 25 April, according to the Peace for Ukraine initiative. The rally will run under the banner No to the Russian Law!, opposing controversial legislation targeting NGOs that was passed by parliament last week and now awaits the president’s signature.
The French Embassy in Slovakia is appealing to families whose relatives had contact with young French men forced to work in a Dubnica nad Váhom arms factory during 1944 to share their memories. According to the town of Ilava, 495 French nationals — mostly men aged 20 to 24 — were made to work in underground conditions, with dozens later joining Slovak partisan brigades in the fight against Nazi forces. (My Považská)
The bribery trial of Slovak central bank governor Peter Kažimír is set to resume on Friday, 25 April at the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok. According to the court schedule, another hearing is planned for 23 May, though a decision on whether to drop the case due to the statute of limitations had originally been expected in December 2024. (SITA)
Slovak forward Oliver Okuliar was named AHL Player of the Week after a late-season surge, scoring seven points in three games to help Charlotte Checkers secure second place in their division. The 24-year-old finished his debut season with 41 points, including 10 in the final five games.
WEDNESDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: Partly to mostly cloudy, with occasional overcast skies. Isolated showers or thunderstorms possible, becoming more frequent later in the day. Maximum temperatures between 18°C and 25°C. (SHMÚ)
A rower on the River Váh on a sunny spring day in Piešťany on 16 April 2025. (source: TASR - Martin Medňanský)
HAPPY NAME DAY: April 23 is a special day for Vojtech, so if you know one, don’t forget to send your warmest wishes. Všetko najlepšie! (April 23 is also celebrated as World Book and Copyright Day.)
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