Good evening. Here is the Friday, September 19 edition of Today in Slovakia – the main news of the day in a few minutes.

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Is Fico’s assailant a terrorist? The court considers his actions and motives

Defendant Juraj Cintula, pictured in court. (source: SME/Jozef Jakubčo)

The trial of Juraj Cintula, the 72-year-old Slovak citizen accused of shooting Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024 in Handlová, is entering its final stages at the Specialised Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica. On Friday, September 19, the court heard the final witnesses in the trial, the Sme daily and TASR newswire reported.

UNUSUAL TRIAL: The trial is unusual, as it centres not on culpability – Cintula admits having shot at Fico – but on whether his actions constitute a terrorist offence, which would affect the severity of the sentence. Cintula claims his intention was to incapacitate, not kill, the prime minister. Among the evidence presented was witness testimony from members of Fico’s security detail on the day of the attack, and video footage of the incident.

BODYGUARDS TESTIFY: Witnesses from Fico’s security detail described the shooting – where they stood, how they reacted, and how the attacker was subdued. One guard recalled: “After the government session, the prime minister headed toward the car. Then I heard a shot and saw a hand with a pistol above the barriers separating the crowd from the prime minister. Multiple shots – about four – were fired, the barrel was about a metre and a half from him. He fell to the ground.”

HEAD OF LOCAL TV STATION TESTIFIES: Dana Reindlová, head of a regional TV station in Prievidza that was filming Fico at the time of the shooting, testified that her team was the only one to record the entire incident. “It was my camerawoman’s quick reaction – she didn’t panic and held the camera until the end. I’m not happy we captured these shots. I’d rather live in a more civilised society where no one shoots at anyone,” Reindlová said.

CINTULA’S DEFENCE: Cintula remained silent during the witness testimony. However, he insists he did not intend to kill Fico, only to make him unable to continue as prime minister. He claims the shooting was motivated by anger toward Fico’s government, which he considered “treacherous towards the EU”. As Fico approached well-wishers in Handlová, Cintula fired five shots from a weapon that he owned legally, Sme and TASR reported. “The shots did not damage his heart, lungs or brain,” Cintula emphasised.

SECRET RECORDINGS AND AGENT INVOLVEMENT: The court has reviewed audio recordings made by an undercover agent deployed while Cintula was in a prison hospital in Trenčín. The agent’s role was to question Cintula about his motives and planning, but the defence argues the agent introduced ideas about the government that Cintula had not expressed on his own. Only selected portions of the recordings are being presented in court, with the public excluded to protect the agent’s identity.

The court continues to focus on motivation and intent, not whether Cintula fired the shots. Upcoming hearings will include telephone conversations between Cintula and his wife, and more excerpts from the agent’s recordings.

The trial began in early July and is now in its third month. Submissions are expected to conclude next Friday, September 26, followed by closing arguments and a verdict, potentially in October.

MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE

• Travel & heritage: From mediaeval gold and silver mines to the 19th-century iron boom, Gelnica’s rich history reveals a Slovak town shaped by German settlers, powerful families and economic ups and downs.

• National record: Emma Zapletalová stormed to World Championship bronze in Tokyo’s 400m hurdles, smashing the Slovak national record with a stunning 53.00 run.

• Good news: Brighten your day with this week’s feel-good stories from Slovakia – a craftsman keeping Slovak traditions alive, a Dutch traveller promoting Slovakia as a hidden gem, and a Slovak startup’s success in the US. Plus, the meme of the week!

• Slovak gambling: Local officials in Komárno are opposing a proposed new casino at the edge of the city, highlighting Slovakia’s loose gambling rules, local frustrations, and national debates over taxation and regulation.

• Travel: A new extension to the Baťa Canal should open fresh tourism opportunities for western Slovakia, but a lack of investment compared to the Czech side and a nearby incinerator project threaten to dampen its potential. Read on to find out all the details.

• Opinion: What if Slovakia’s emigrants weren’t just a “brain drain,” but a global family keeping traditions alive – from Easter ham and holubky to polka dancing – carrying the nation’s culture and resilience across generations?

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FEATURE STORY

Slovak clubs bring fresh style to the ice

Slovan Bratislava’s new kit. (source: Sportnet)

Slovakia’s top ice-hockey league, the Tipsport Liga, kicks off the season with bold jersey changes and classic updates. Slovan Bratislava unveiled a full rebrand with a new logo uniting all club teams, while HC Košice returned to its iconic orange home strip. Liptovský Mikuláš drew NHL inspiration with a striking white-and-gold stripe, and HK Dukla Michalovce let fans choose a fox logo for their redesigned black-and-orange set.

EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND

Bratislava’s Panenská Street comes alive for the autumn Good Market

The Dobrý Trh (Good Market) festival takes place on and around Bratislava’s Panenská Street this Saturday. (source: Gabriel Kuchta , SME)

Brighten your weekend in Bratislava with the autumn Good Market (Dobrý Trh) on Panenská Street this Saturday. Crafts, art, food and live music will celebrate ‘The Art of Coexistence’ between 10:00 and 17:00. Kids can enjoy a dedicated Children’s Market, while all-day activities bring the community together in a colourful, festive atmosphere.

IN OTHER NEWS

• Prime Minister Robert Fico has scheduled a press conference for Saturday morning, expected to focus on the family of opposition leader Michal Šimečka. The event, titled “How the family of the opposition leader contributed to the breakdown of public finances in 2020–2023. Chapter No. 1,” will also feature Justice Minister Boris Susko and MEP Erik Kaliňák, who is also head of the prime minister’s advisory board.

• If parliamentary elections were held in September, Progressive Slovakia (PS) would win with 22 percent of the vote, followed by Smer with 18.2 percent and Hlas with 9.7 percent, according to a Focus survey for the portal 360tka.

• President Peter Pellegrini will travel to New York on Saturday to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. His programme also includes several bilateral meetings and a gathering with Slovak compatriots.

• A 39-year-old man died in hospital after being attacked by a group of Roma youths in Zlaté Moravce last Saturday. The assault took place outside a shopping centre; police have launched a criminal investigation. Mayor Dušan Husár and municipal police chief Marián Takáč warned that the town is facing a serious problem with rising youth violence, noting they had already raised concerns with the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities.

• The Peace for Ukraine initiative has cancelled its planned protest for 26 September, saying it values the opposition’s and trade unions’ anti-government demonstrations and does not want to divide forces between two events.

• The European Commission has proposed the EU’s 19th sanctions package against Russia, targeting banks, exports, cryptocurrency schemes, and 118 ships in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, as well as banning imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from January 2027. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the measures aim to cut Russia’s revenue and speed up the bloc’s energy independence. The package also includes sanctions on individuals involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children. Prime Minister Robert Fico criticised the proposal, saying it would significantly harm the competitiveness of both Slovakia and the EU.

• In its latest evaluation report, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages praised Slovakia’s efforts to protect and promote minority languages, particularly Hungarian. However, it urged further measures to meet Charter commitments, especially in education, public administration and the media.

• The Polish Institute in Bratislava is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. Established on September 26, 1950, as Nové Poľsko, the institute has undergone several name and organisational changes over the decades. Since 1994, it has operated under its current name, continuing its mission of building cultural bridges between Poland and Slovakia through art, literature, music, film, and science.

The photo shows a performance by barrel organ players in the pedestrian zone of Nitra, held as part of the 12th International Barrel Organ Meeting on 19 September 2025. (source: TASR – Henrich Mišovič)

WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND: The weekend will treat us to warm, sunny, dry weather, with temperatures ranging from 24°C to 30°C. No rain is expected, so enjoy your weekend to the fullest. (SHMÚ)

WEEKEND PARTY TIME: Ľuboslav & Ľuboslava, Matúš and Móric are the lucky ones celebrating their name days this weekend. Send your best wishes to all the Ľuboslavs & Ľuboslavas (on Saturday, September 20), Matúšes (on Sunday, September 21) and, last but not least, all those Mórics (on Monday, September 22) in your life.

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