'I never intended to kill him' says Fico shooting suspect

The man detained over the shooting of Robert Fico said he had wanted to hurt the Slovak prime minister because he disagreed with government policies and used a gun he had owned for more than 30 years, a released court document has shown.

The nine-page document details the reasoning why a court ordered the 71-year-old suspect to be detained, based on questioning he had with authorities investigating the case.

They are the first official comments from the suspect that have been made public, more than a week after the shooting that left Fico fighting for his life and needing surgery on his abdomen. His condition has improved but he remains hospitalized.

The suspect, a former security guard at a shopping mall, according to the media, was cited as saying no one else knew about his plan. He apologized for his actions and was prepared to apologize to Fico, according to the document released by the Specialised Criminal Court.

Fico was shot four times at close range on May 15 on a square in the central town of Handlova where the government had been meeting.

A lawyer for the suspect, when contacted by Reuters, said she had ended her representation. It was not clear if the suspect had a new lawyer.

The first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years highlighted deep political divisions in the central European country.

The court document said the suspect, identified previously by prosecutors as Juraj. C, decided around Monday, May 13, two days before the shooting, to hurt Fico using a legally held CZ 75 9mm-calibre gun he had had in his possession for over three decades.

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Arriving in front of the building at 2:35 p.m. with the gun and two magazines of around 10 bullets each, the suspect stood with others at a barrier outside on the square, it said.

When Fico came close, "he aimed at (Fico), specifically at the lower part of his torso", said the court order, which blocked out names of the attacker, victim and witnesses.

The order said the suspect said he did not intend to kill him but "wanted to injure him and damage his health".

He said he had never been treated in a psychiatric ward nor had any psychiatric examination, the document showed.

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