Robert Fico, Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister, has been rushed to hospital in a “life-threatening” condition after being shot by a gunman while speaking to supporters outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova.
But the attempt on Mr Fico’s life is one of several attacks on politicians in recent history.
This list details a number of political assassinations and attempted assassinations that have taken place since John F. Kennedy, former US president, was shot dead in Dallas more than 60 years ago.
On 1 September 2022, a man pointed a gun at the head of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the former Argentine president, as she mingled with supporters outside her home in Buenos Aires, but the gun did not go off.
The assailant, who is currently in custody, said the reason for his attack was “the situation in the country”.
Ms Fernández de Kirchner, who was sentenced at the end of 2022 to six years’ imprisonment and ineligibility for office on charges of fraud and corruption, said private funding for the attack had been “identified with the government” of her predecessor, the liberal Mauricio Macri.
In November 2022, Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime minister, was shot in the legs as the lorry he had been travelling in drove through a crowded street in Wazirabad.
In a “confession” video released by police, the gunman said he had acted because Khan was, in his opinion, against Islam.
