Having lived side by side with him for more than 40 years, Ludovic could never have imagined the 71-year-old former security guard and amateur poet would be suspected of perpetrating the worst political attack in modern Slovakian history - shooting the prime minister several times at point-blank range.
"I have known him for decades... If he was planning something, there were no signs... But I can't look into his head," L'udovit, 68, told the Guardian yesterday, a day after the attempted assassination of Robert Fico left the divisive politician in a critical condition.
"Our whole building is trying to understand why he did this."
They weren't alone. Yesterday, the whole of Levice, like much of Slovakia, was struggling to make sense of the attack.
Shootings of heads of state or government are virtually unheard of in recent European history, sparking deep shock over the attempt on Fico's life both inside the country and throughout the continent. But while the alleged perpetrator's motives remain murky, the attack comes on the back of growing polarisation in Slovak society.
L'udovit said he would occasionally discuss politics with Cintula and that his neighbour did not have appear to have "strong political opinions", but expressed anger over what he saw as growing attacks on free speech under Fico's leadership. "But I would never have thought he would be capable of such awful actions. He never talked about using violence. He was not radical," the neighbour said.
Esta historia es de la edición May 17, 2024 de The Guardian.
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