Shooter is a retired man

The shooter was a 71 year old man from the south western town of Levice. According to information published in media, the gunman disagreed with the government’s steps and has connections to a group called Slovenski branci, Slovak Conscripts, a paramilitary organisation. The shooter is a pensioner and owned the gun legally. He was also an amateur writer having published several collections of poetry and novels. In his writing, he also expressed a racist attitude to Roma people.

He has also spoken out on political matters and had unsuccessful political ambitions. Among the topics he mentioned were migrants, extremism and he criticized the state for being weak and failing. Until recently, he worked as a private security worker.

When asked about what kind of person the perpetrator was, his neighbours stated they were on good terms with him and that he was a regular person and a good neighbour.

Matej Snopek, a former criminal investigator, assumes the perpetrator must have been determined and must have been angry or harbored highly negative feelings.

The shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico is being investigated as attempted second-degree premeditated murder. According to TV station Markíza, police have already charged the shooter with premeditated revenge murder of a protected person in the attempted murder stage, and he faces a sentence of 25 years to life imprisonment. According to the TV station, the man said he was proud of the attack.

RTVS, TASR