Former Socialist Party vice-chairman Sándor Csintalan was attacked and robbed by four men in the underground garage of his home on Tuesday evening, writes news portal Hírszerző. Csintalan is currently a member of main opposition party Fidesz and an anchorman for Hír TV, a television channel considered to be sympathetic to the party.
Hír TV reported that Csintalan had been attacked with lead rods, and Budapest Police confirmed that he had been assaulted. According to the website of the channel, he suffered serious injuries to his hands and head, while state news wire MTI reported that he suffered only bruises.
Csintalan was rushed to the hospital where he was kept until this morning. Police are currently searching for witnesses that may help them locate the attackers.
Commentators on extreme right-wing portal kuruc.info have recently criticized Csintalan on several occasions. On Friday, György Budaházy and László Toroczkai, who were among those held responsible for damaging public property in Budapest during the political unrest of the past year, issued a statement in which they said they would sue Csintalan, because he “has crossed all former limits” in “besmirching them.”
The governing Socialist Party (MSZP) and their coalition partner, the Liberal party SZDSZ, both condemned the attack on Wednesday morning.
