A 71-year-old Slovak literary man named Juraj Cintula is the man who attempted to kill Prime Minister Robert Fico in the town of Hadlova on Wednesday afternoon, according to Slovak media.

According to reports, Cidula shouted towards Fico while the latter was talking to supporters and when he approached him to shake his hand, he then opened fire on him.

See pictures of the moment of arrest

Same sources say the 71-year-old is one of the founders of the DÚHA literary club in 2005. Until 2016, he was president of the club and wrote three poetry collections. Since 2015 he has been a member of the Society of Slovak Writers.

In 2016 he reportedly worked as a driver in a shopping centre in Levice, his home town, and has also worked as a security guard.

??#AHORA – Imágenes que muestran el momento del ataque al primer ministro eslovaco, Robert Fico. Via @AlertaNews24pic.twitter.com/iZxiYNOYON

— DatoWorld (@DatosAme24) May 15, 2024

Cidula – of left-wing persuasion – was allegedly in legal possession of the gun, which he turned on the Slovak prime minister, and was arrested immediately after the bloody incident.

Shocked perpetrator’s son: ‘I don’t know why he did it, he had the gun legally’

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Local website Aktuality.sk contacted the 71-year-old’s son, who said he was shocked by this situation, and confirmed that his father had a gun license. ‘I have absolutely no idea what my father’s purpose was, what he was planning and why all this happened,’ he said. When asked about his father’s feelings against Fico, he replied, ‘I’ll tell you this – he didn’t vote for him. That’s all I can say.’

Furthermore, he responded in the negative when asked if the 71-year-old was a psychiatric patient. ‘Maybe he short-circuited, I don’t know. He’s dynamic, but he hadn’t seen a psychiatrist or anything like that.’