Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is in serious condition but is expected to survive after an assassination attempt on Wednesday, according to his deputy prime minister. A suspect was detained at the scene of the shooting, however no further details have been provided about him as of Thursday.

The PM was shot multiple times after a government meeting in Handlova while he was greeting supporters outside. He was abruptly carried to a government vehicle by security and taken to the hospital where he was reported to be in "life-threatening condition" according to the PM's official Facebook account.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Fico was admitted, stated at a press conference on Wednesday that his condition "is truly very serious."

However, Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC that surgery had gone "well" for the PM, adding: "I guess that at the end he will survive." He later appeared on air at BBC where he said Fico was "not in [a] life-threatening situation at this moment," adding that the PM was shot "from very close" and that "one bullet went through the stomach and the second one hit the joint."

While police have not publicly identified the suspect, unconfirmed local media reports have said he was a 71-year-old writer and political activist. Interior Minister Mayus Sutaj Estok declined to provide further details when asked about the attacker's identity, simply saying "not today" and adding that more information would be provided in the "coming days," per New York Times.