Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was rushed to a local hospital after being shot in what the nation’s Interior Ministry described as an assassination attempt.

Fico was attacked after convening a government meeting in the town of Handlova. The extent of his injuries wasn’t immediately clear, according to local media reports. The alleged attacker has been pacified and arrested by the police, the media reported.

Fico was walking in a crowd of people when shots were fired at the premier in the town, northeast of the capital Bratislava, newspaper Dennik N reported. Eyewitnesses heard four shots ring out as Fico fell to the ground, after which he was lifted by security guards, loaded into a car and driven away, the newspaper said.

Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova condemned what she described as “brutal and reckless attack” on the prime minister in a Facebook post.

“I am shocked. I wish Robert Fico every strength to recover from the attack at this critical time,” she wrote.

Slovakia’s parliament suspended its session as leaders across the political spectrum rebuked the attack, the first of its kind in the nation’s history. Fico returned to power last year as the voice of the opposition to Brussels. His Russia-friendly stance has put him at odds with partners, threatening to undermine Europe’s unity in helping Ukraine.

Peter Pellegrini, the president-elect and Fico’s long-time ally, was due to make a statement at 3:45 p.m. local time.

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