Slovakian police have charged a man, described as a politically motivated “lone wolf,” with the attempted murder of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is seriously ill in hospital after an assassination attempt that shocked the eastern European nation.

Fico was conscious and able to speak on Thursday afternoon, according to his long-time ally and the Slovakian President-elect Peter Pellegrini who visited him in the hospital.

He said the prime minister was still in serious condition after being shot five times from a close range and undergoing surgery.

The assassination attempt rocked the central European country and sparked global condemnation. Slovakia’s Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok said the suspect told law enforcement officers that his action was motivated by his disagreement with the government and its reforms.

The 59-year-old populist leader, who returned to power last year and whose controversial policy changes have sparked protests in recent weeks, was attacked on Wednesday after an off-site government meeting in the town of Handlova.

Šutaj Eštok said the police were pursuing only one investigative theory – that the attack was politically motivated.

He said that the suspect told law enforcement officers that he disagreed with Fico’s policies and that he decided to act after the recent presidential election, which saw a Fico ally – Pellegrini – emerge as the winner.

Šutaj Eštok said the suspect indicated that his reasons for assassination are that he wanted the government to abolish the special prosecutor’s office, wanted the government stop supplying military assistance to Ukraine, and to dismiss the judicial council head.