Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting on Wednesday afternoon and was admitted to a hospital.
As per reports on TA3, a Slovakian TV station, the populist PM was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in Handlova, which is around 150 kilometres from the capital Bratislava where he was meeting with the supporters.
A BBC report said that he was shot while he was leaving a government meeting in Handlova. Fico was shot in the abdomen, arm and leg.
Videos from the scene show the injured PM being escorted into a vehicle by several of his staff, with the car speeding away as soon as he is inside.
PM Fico was first rushed to a local hospital and then taken by helicopter to a major trauma center in Banska Bystrica, about 30 kilometers away.
He is reportedly in a life-threatening condition and he is receiving treatment in the hospital.
A suspect has been detained. However, there were no immediate reports of his identity.
A statement posted on Fico’s official Facebook page and his party’s website called the attack "an asassination attempt" on the prime minister.
Robert Fico, a third-time premier, and his leftist Smer or Direction party won Slovakia's parliamentary elections last September after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message.