Slovakia's PM Robert Fico shot outside government meeting, official ...

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has been shot after a government meeting in the city of Handlova, in what the country's Interior Ministry called an "assassination attempt".

An official described Fico's injuries as "life-threatening", and a spokesperson for a nearby hospital said the 59-year-old was conscious when he was taken there for treatment on Wednesday afternoon, local time.

He was later moved to another facility in Handlova, but a government spokesperson said transporting Fico to the capital, Bratislava, which is about 200 kilometres away, would take too long given his "acute" injuries.

The spokesperson said he was airlifted to a hospital in the city of Banská Bystrica, which is much closer.

 Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has been shot. (File)(Reuters: Nadja Wohlleben)

Rescue workers take Robert Fico to a hospital in Banska Bystrica on Wednesday.(TASR: Jan Kroslak via AP))

The attack happened about 2.30pm while Fico was leaving a building in the city to meet people in a crowd that had gathered outside.

Local media reports claimed four shots had been fired, with one hitting the PM in the abdomen. The reports said a 71-year-old man had been arrested over the attack.

In a Facebook post shortly after the incident, Slovakia's emergency services said a helicopter had been dispatched to the area.

The country's president Zuzana Čaputová described the attack as "brutal".

Witnesses reported seeing security services detaining a man after the incident.

A person is detained after the assassination attempt on Slovakia's prime minister.(Reuters: Radovan Stoklasa)

The shooting took place about 2.30pm in the central city of Handlova.(Reuters: Radovan Stoklasa)

Fico is Slovakia's longest-serving prime minister and was elected for a fourth term in 2023.

He heads a coalition government in the former Soviet state, which has been divisive.

His policy platform has included abolishing a key anti-corruption office and halting military support to Ukraine.

Fico's government on April 24 approved a controversial proposal to scrap public broadcaster RTVS and replace it with what free-speech advocates fear could be a state mouthpiece disseminating pro-Russian propaganda.

The veteran politician has previously been pro-Europe, but his government's most recent positions put him at odds with the European Union (EU) — which Slovakia joined in 2004 — and United States.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen described Fico's shooting as a "vile attack".

"Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico and his family," she said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a post on X, said the "cowardly" shooting "shocks me deeply".

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also reacted to the assassination attempt, posting on X: "Shocked to hear this awful news. All our thoughts are with Prime Minister Fico and his family."

A person is detained after a shooting incident involving Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico.(Reuters: Radovan Stoklasa)

Police officers gathered to detain a person after the prime minister was shot.(Reuters: Radovan Stoklasa)

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the shooting "monstrous" in correspondence with Slovakia's president, adding: "I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation."

In a statement released by the White House, US President Joe Biden said: "We condemn this horrific act of violence. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist."

Slovakia's main opposition party cancelled a planned protest against Fico's blueprint for changes to public broadcasting after he was shot.

Investigators survey the area where Robert Fico was shot. (Reuters: Radovan Stoklasa)