Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico is in critical condition after he was shot multiple times in an attempted assassination on Wednesday, according to a statement on his official Facebook page.

“He has been shot multiple times and is currently in life threatening condition,” Fico’s account stated . “The next few hours will decide.”

The assassination attempt occurred after a meeting and subsequent press conference in the town of Handlova while Fico greeted supporters. Slovakian president Zuzana Caputova wrote in a post on X that she was “utterly shocked by today’s brutal attack,” which she condemned “in strongest possible terms.”

“I wish him lot[s] of strength in this critical moment and early recovery,” Caputova said. “My thoughts are also with his family and close ones.”

Caputova gave a televised address after the shooting in which she, a political rival of Fico, argued that the rise of domestic tensions in Slovakia — mirroring the politics of many other countries in the region — is to blame for the violence.