A man was arrested after a failed assassination attempt on the vice president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, on Thursday.
Videos posted to social media sites show a crowd outside Kirchner’s home in Recoleta, downtown Buenos Aires, then a man suddenly pointed a gun at the vice president at point blank range.
The assailant fired his gun at the vice president but failed. The vice president left the place unharmed.
“A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger,” President Alberto Fernández said during a national broadcast. He said the gun didn’t fire.
After the attack, the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, criticized the attack and asked for a fast investigation to conclude the case. He declared a national holiday on Friday for “peace and harmony to our people so that they can defend life”.
A Brazilian man named Fernando Sabag Montiel, 35, has been charged with attempted murder.
He was arrested by police officers from Kirchner’s security team shortly after the incident. In the attempt against the vice-president, the Brazilian was using a Bersa 380 pistol with five ammunitions.
Since the Argentinean Public Ministry asked for Kirchner’s condemnation, supporters of the vice-president usually gather in front of her house to lend their support. She is accused of corruption and influence peddling during the term of her ex-husband, former President Nestor Kirchner.
Watch the video below:
#BREAKING: Assassinate attemp against Argentina’s Vice-President Cristina Kirchner, The gun failed on the last moment.
The Gunman: A Brazilian 35 yo man pic.twitter.com/q414UWX4TL
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 2, 2022
Here’s another video:
Extremely shocking images of an apparent attempt to assassinate Argentina’s vice president Cristina Kirchner tonight. A Brazilian man has reportedly been detained. https://t.co/jlV0hd02Nu
— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) September 2, 2022