Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner appears to have dodged an assassination attempt after a man pointed a handgun at her face on Thursday and tried but failed to shoot it.
Television footage of the event showed the vice president exiting her vehicle outside her home in Buenos Aires, the country’s capital, as she was surrounded by her supporters. A man who was among the crowd could be seen extending his hand toward Fernandez de Kirchner holding what appeared to be a gun, leading to the vice president ducking for cover and people around the person appearing shocked.
MAN FATALLY SHOOTS DAUGHTER’S INTRUDING EX-BOYFRIEND ON CAMERA
“A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger,” President Alberto Fernandez said during a national address describing what he called a homicide attempt, according to the Associated Press. He also said the gun did not fire.
The man was identified by Argentinian authorities as Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel, a 35-year-old Brazilian citizen. He is in custody, and his weapon has been taken by the police, according to the Brazilian Report, which cited Security Minister Anibal Fernandez.
El video del arma contra @CFKArgentina pic.twitter.com/8j1xpMnPoe
— Lautaro Maislin (@LautaroMaislin) September 2, 2022
“A person who was identified by those who were close to him who had a gun was detained by [the vice president’s] security personnel,” Fernandez told local cable news channel C5N. “They set him aside, found the weapon, and now it must be analyzed.”
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Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa condemned the attack attempt, saying that societies are destroyed “when hate and violence are imposed over the debate of ideas.”
People have been surrounding the vice president’s home over the past several days to support her as she faces a corruption trial.
