Argentina’s leading political figure; Cristina Fernández de Kirchner survives an assassination attempt after a man attempted to shoot her with a loaded 32-caliber Bersa 9-millimeter gun but failed to fire at point-blank range.
The attacker was grabbed by bystanders and was immediately arrested.
Vice-president Fernández de Kirchner was greeting supporters outside her home in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Recoleta at 9 pm on Thursday when a Brazilian man approached her and raised a handgun to her face in an attempt to end her life.
Fernández de Kirchner survived only because the gun – which was loaded with five bullets – did not fire, president Alberto Fernández said.
“A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger,” the president said in a national broadcast. “Cristina is still alive because, for some reason yet to be confirmed, the gun … did not fire.”
He called it “the most serious incident since we recovered democracy” in 1983 and urged political leaders, and society at large, to repudiate the incident.
The Argentinian newspaper Clarín reported that a 35-year-old Brazilian man had been arrested at the scene. The dramatic events were captured by television cameras outside Fernández de Kirchner’s home, where supporters had been gathered for days protesting against corruption charges filed against her at court.
The footage shows the man pushing through supporters, raising a gun to Fernández de Kirchner’s face, and attempting a shot, which seems to misfire. Some reports said the man pointed the gun at Fernández de Kirchner but did not fire. The two-time former president, Argentina’s leading political figure, can be seen reacting, covering her face and hunching down. She was reportedly unharmed.
Security minister Aníbal Fernández told local cable news channel C5N that a man had been detained. “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. They set him aside, found the weapon, and now it must be analyzed,” he said.
Fernández said the firearm had five bullets “and didn’t fire even though the trigger was pulled”. He declared Friday a national holiday to allow people time to “express themselves in defense of life, democracy and in solidarity with our vice president”.
Shortly after the incident, government officials were quick to decry what they called an assassination attempt.
“When hate and violence are imposed over the debate of ideas, societies are destroyed and generate situations like the one seen today: an assassination attempt,” economy minister Sergio Massa said.
The alleged gunman was identified as Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel, a Brazilian citizen, said an official at the Security Ministry. He does not have a criminal record, the official said.
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