Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in stable but serious condition after being shot multiple times on Wednesday, doctors report.

The hospital director stated that Fico is currently in intensive care following a five-hour surgery.

Earlier, the 59-year-old was described as fighting for his life after sustaining severe injuries in an attack in the small town of Handlova.

A suspect was detained at the scene of the shooting.

Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Mr. Fico was admitted, told a press conference that his condition “is truly very serious.”

Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba previously told the BBC that Mr. Fico’s surgery had gone “well” and expressed hope that “at the end he will survive.”

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estoka described the incident as a politically motivated assassination attempt.

Mr. Fico is a divisive figure domestically and controversial within the EU for his calls to end military aid to Ukraine and lift sanctions on Russia.

Despite his polarizing stance, condemnation of the shooting has come from far and wide, with many describing it as an attack on democracy.

Gunman Fired at Close Range

The gunman emerged from a small crowd of Fico supporters gathered outside a cultural center in Handlova, where the prime minister had been holding a meeting.

The shooting caught Mr. Fico’s security officers completely off guard. Footage shows the prime minister, after being shot, being carried by several officers who quickly bundled him into a car and drove away from the scene.

The gunman fired five shots at close range, hitting Mr. Fico in the stomach and arm.

He was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent a five-hour surgery performed by surgical and trauma teams, according to Ms. Lapunikova.