BRATISLAVA, May 17. /TASS/. The personal security of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt on Wednesday, did their duty and saved his life, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj-Estok told reporters.

"The prime minister’s personal protection group acted absolutely properly amid a rapidly developing emergency situation, and by doing so, saved his life," he said.

Sutaj-Estok firmly rejected some experts’ allegations, cited in the Slovakian media, that the prime minister’s personal protection group acted unprofessionally.

Robert Fico

An assassination attempt on Fico took place in the town of Handlova in western Slovakia on May 15. The prime minister suffered chest, abdominal and limb wounds, and subsequently underwent surgery. On Friday, he was operated on again. Fico is conscious. He has been stabilized, but, as his physicians emphasize, his condition is still serious. The attacker, who, as Slovakian media reported, is a 71-year-old writer called Juraj Cintula, was apprehended. He is reported to have carried out the assassination attempt on Fico for political reasons, since he disagreed with his views and the government’s steps.