On July 8, the trial of the attempted assassination of the country’s Prime Minister Robert Fico began at the Specialized Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. About this informs News.
72-year-old Juray Tsintula, who opened fire on the head of the government on May 15 last year, is appearing before the court. He is charged with a particularly serious crime — a terrorist attack against a person under guard. If found guilty, the accused faces life imprisonment. At the same time, Tsintula offers to make a deal.
Tsintula has been in custody for over a year and actively cooperates with criminal authorities. It is reported that he appealed to the General Prosecutor’s Office with an offer to plead guilty in exchange for 12 years in prison. However, according to the prosecutor’s position, a conviction for such a crime does not carry a sentence of less than 20 years, so a deal is currently out of the question. Despite this, Tsintula insists that he is ready to plead guilty, adding that he does not regret his actions.
“I had no intention. I didn’t shoot in the heart or the head. I didn’t regret anything, I acted according to my conscience and values.” he wrote in a letter from custody, noting that he was relieved to learn that the prime minister had survived.
After the attack, the man was initially charged with attempted murder, but the legal qualification was later changed to an act of terrorism. For this crime, he faces from 25 years to life in prison.
It will be recalled that on May 15, 2024, during the official visit of Prime Minister Robert Fizo to the city of Handlov, an attacker shot him several times – the bullets hit him in the stomach and left arm. The head of the government was in critical condition and needed immediate operative intervention.
The incident was recorded by local television cameras: five shots were heard. The mass media reported that the attacker is a 71-year-old man, a former security guard in a shopping center, the author of three poetry collections and a member of the Slovak Society of Writers.
