Slovak PM lashes out at opponents in first address since shooting

He blames opposition for fostering hatred that led to assassination bid against him

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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on June 5 blamed his opponents for fostering the "hatred" that led to an assassination attempt against him, in his first address since the shooting.

Looking calm but speaking with long pauses, the 59-year-old also said in the video on Facebook that he could resume work as early as June or July.

"I feel no hatred towards the stranger who shot me," he said.

"I forgive him and let him sort out what he did and why he did it in his own head."

But he said the accused gunman was not "some madman" but "a messenger of the evil and political hatred" fostered by the opposition in Slovakia.

Mr Fico was shot four times at close range on May 15 as he greeted supporters after a government meeting in the central town of Handlova.