Slovakia shooting: Two dead after gunman opens fire outside LGBTQ+ bar in suspected hate attack

Advocates in Slovakia believe a fatal shooting at an LGBTQ+ bar in the capital Bratislava was motivated by "hatred" towards the queer community. 

Slovakia’s prime minister has condemned a shooting outside an LGBTQ+ venue that killed two people in what advocates believe is a hate crime.

Two men were fatally shot and a woman was wounded on Wednesday (12 October) evening in front of Tepláreň, a popular LGBTQ+ spot in Slovakia’s capital of Bratislava. 

Comenius University in Bratislava said on Twitter that one of the two victims in the shooting was a student named Matúš Horváth. The university believes the attack “could have been a hate crime against the LGBTQI+ community” based on “current information”. 

The third victim in the attack is believed to have worked at the bar and is recovering in hospital. 

The suspected gunman was found dead on Thursday (13 October) morning, Slovak police said. Authorities have not provided details about the motive of the shooting but have not ruled out it being a hate crime.

According to Slovak media, the suspect posted had written social media posts indicating he had anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ+ views as well as posts about the shooting, the Associated Press reported. The account was blocked Thursday. 

Slovak leaders condemned the attack.

Prime minister Eduard Heger condemned the attack and said it was “unacceptable” that anyone should live in fear.

“It is unacceptable that anyone should fear for their life because of the way they live,” Heger said. “I strongly condemn yesterday’s attack in which two people died. No form of extremism is allowed.”

Zuzana Čaputová, president of the Slovak Republic, called on politicians to help stop hatred against the LGBTQ+ community in a post on Twitter. Today, president Zuzana Čaputová met with the owner of Tepláreň bar and visited the scene. 

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