- On Wednesday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Figo was attacked in Handlova.
- A 71-year-old man shot him 5 times. Three bullets hit Robert Figo in the stomach and arm, two shots missed. The accused was immediately arrested and taken to the Prime Minister’s Hospital
- – I have many objections to the actions of the security officers of the Slovak Prime Minister. All procedures and safety rules were violated there – General Andrzej Pawlikowski insists in an interview with ONET
- – Another thing is that politicians do not follow security orders. When one of them suspected of planting a bomb in the building where he was staying, I asked: “Why should I run? I will not show weakness,” admits the former head of the Defense Bureau.
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Robert Figo was shot dead on Wednesday in the western city of Huntloa, where a government meeting abroad was taking place. According to witnesses, Slovakia’s prime minister walked out of the community center where the meeting was held and greeted people. According to Actuality website, only a few people were waiting for the politician.
Shot by Robert Figo. Former Defense Bureau chief: There were many mistakes
None of them whistled or raised slogans against the government. Only one person held a banner against the government. At one point, a shot was fired. As the prime minister fell down, the security personnel lifted him from the ground and carried him into their car. The politician was taken to hospital. The 71-year-old accused was immediately arrested.
Also check: The Assassination of Robert Figo. What will change in the operation of Polish services? We have an SOP concept
The course of the attack and the behavior of the security forces before and after it are highly controversial. We asked General Andrzej Pawlikowski for his opinion on the matter. A former chief of the Defense Bureau, a defense expert and deputy director of the National Defense Department’s Institute for Strategic Studies at the Academy of War Studies has been highly critical of defense operations.
— Based on the records currently available, I believe there are many mistakes. It may be subject to investigation by the Slovak and European investigative services. After all, this is an attack on the prime minister of one of the EU member states. In light of the military operations of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the motive of the perpetrator may be personal or political, but will be examined based on references to the activities of foreign services in the current geopolitical situation – explains Andrzej Pawlikowski.
– I have many objections to the actions of the security officers of the Slovak Prime Minister. All procedures and personal safety precautions were violated there. I admit that I appreciated the Slovak services, I was very surprised that such a situation arose. Of course, you must remember that it is impossible to ensure 100 percent safety in a public place. But these services are created and they have the strength, resources and various tools to ensure they are provided to constitutionally and legally protected people, he adds.
The Assassination of Robert Figo. “The reaction of the authorities was delayed”
We ask what specific mistakes were made. — I don’t know whether the Prime Minister’s approach to this committee was premeditated or a spontaneous decision. However, regardless of this, authorities should be particularly vigilant, especially if the area has not been previously secured and kept under surveillance. Yes, they approached the barriers, and there was a group behind it. But the moment the Prime Minister shook hands and approached the man, a couple of officers must have started noticing him. To focus on his hands, behavior and if you see a chaotic situation, remove the so-called threat and cover the protected person with his body – emphasizes the former head of the Security Bureau.
– Yes, they approached obstacles, but the mistake was that they considered it normal. The men clearly did not expect such a dangerous situation to occur in this place. You will find them searching everywhere instead of protecting their fields. The assailant should address the Prime Minister, mention his name and, if so, respond immediately. When he is seen pulling out something that turns out to be a weapon, the head of security or another officer closes in on the protected person and takes out a bullet or bullets. Especially since he usually wears a bulletproof vest, he points out.
Our interlocutor insists that the rest must overcome the attackers, but immediately take their weapons. – Reload for one and a half seconds and the attacker will be removed. Here, the reaction of the authorities was delayed, because there should not have been any shooting, and if they had, they would not have hit the Prime Minister, but at most – as I have already mentioned – one of the security officers.
– If men had guarded their departments and done what they were called to do, in accordance with procedure, there would not have been this delayed reaction: observation, being close to the Prime Minister, watching the people’s hands and the crowd, guarding it by secret officers who were somewhere behind the people approaching the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, there was a lot of confusion in this security system, says Andrzej Pawlikowski.
The Assassination of Robert Figo. Politicians don’t always listen to security officials
He emphasized that it should also be remembered that the attackers may be more in such a situation. Because if one fails, the other can attack from another side.
– It should also be borne in mind that the shooter may be fired from a completely different location. So, the officials have to protect the Prime Minister with their own bodies. Here, most of them attacked the perpetrator, while others covered the protected person after the fact. They then jumped around the Prime Minister and took him to his car. Well, that’s not good. Action is chaotic. “I was under the impression that it was run by men who had just joined the service and were not yet properly trained,” says the former head of the security services.
— The relationship between the protected person and the security authorities remains an issue to be addressed. It often happens, especially politicians, not only in Slovakia but also in Poland and other countries, they don’t always listen to the security authorities when it comes to the security system or potential threats. They usually want to work out some of their assumptions and get as close as possible to the public in order to gain a few percentage points. In this way, they risk their health and life, the expert admits.
Pawlikowski, while reforming the Government Security Bureau as its head, developed, among other things, a plan for a regulatory legal system. This is the problem. One of his points was forcing politicians to listen to the personal security chief’s orders.
– I have come across many situations where politicians do not follow such orders. I cannot divulge their names, but, for example, when there was a suspicion that a bomb had been placed in the building where he was staying, I heard from one of them, “Why should I run away? I will not show weakness.” Meanwhile, it’s not about whether he’s scared or not, but there are procedures to be followed in a threatening situation, he insists.
“The Pope decides to change the previously established path”
The former head of the Defense Bureau argues that, for example, in Israel or the United States, politicians do not discuss and obey their security orders. In Poland it is very different.
– When such a person occupies an important position, it must be realized that he is not the proverbial John Doe, but a body chosen by the Polish nation to hold a certain position. Meanwhile, such a person writes an application to waive the security over the weekend as he wants to go somewhere with his family. No, this won’t happen if you hold an important position in the state, Pawlikowski points out.
– It often happens that politicians or other VIPs completely ignore these procedures and, for example, inform the authorities that we are going to such and such a place. Meanwhile, security officials have to check them in advance from various angles, which takes time. “We can’t arbitrarily visit one facility or another city even though the security has no prior knowledge of these plans,” he adds.
– Besides, not only politicians do it, because the Holy Father, Pope Francis, during his visit to Poland in 2016, decided to change the previously established path and go somewhere. There was no way I could convince him not to do it. Even the pressure and demands of other clergy or Vatican security did not help. “Let’s turn right now,” he said, asking the driver. The fact that he got into a bulletproof “Popemobile” and not a Volkswagen Polo was half the problem, because that’s what he drove. Meanwhile, when a tragedy occurs, the lawyer will not ask who made this particular decision, but the defense will be blamed for insufficient security, the expert says.
We ask whether the Polish services should also draw conclusions from the attack in Slovakia. – Of course. The only major problem is that we talk about it case by case. Not long ago there was an attack on the president of Gdańsk. There was a lot of noise for two or three weeks, and then everything came back and was the same. However, now I hope that appropriate decisions will be made by organizations such as the SOP and the Internal Security Agency – Andrzej Pawlicki in short.