Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot Wednesday and hospitalized after a cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova, local media said – cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The PM was lifted into a car by security guards and transported to the capital, and the suspected gunman was detained by the police.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen denounced the "vile attack" saying, "I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family," von der Leyen said on X, formerly Twitter.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova condemned the "brutal and reckless" attack.

"I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack," she said in a statement, calling it "a brutal and reckless attack".