MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Attempted assassination: man who tried to shoot Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner arrested

It all happened after 9:00 p.m., when the Vice-President was arriving at her home in the Recoleta neighborhood

A Brazilian man was arrested on Thursday in Buenos Aires after attempting to shoot Argentine Vice-President Cristina Fernandez in the vicinity of her home, when a vigil was being held in her support, as confirmed to the press by the country's Security Minister, Anibal Fernandez. The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, declared a national holiday for Friday and said: “This event is extremely serious, it is the most serious that has happened since we have recovered our democracy.”

Images taken by the television channel C5N recorded the moment in which a person pulls out a gun in front of the face of the former president (2007-2015).

The incident took place a few meters from the former president's building, where hundreds of demonstrators have been gathering for days to support her in the midst of a trial against her for alleged corruption. The attacker camouflaged himself among Kirchnerist militants in order to reach Fernandez de Kirchner as she was returning home from the Senate.

Warned by the demonstrators, the vice-president's guards protected her and cornered the armed man.

The man of Brazilian nationality was reduced and later identified as Fernando Andres Sabag Montiel (35 years old). It all happened after 9:00 p.m., when the Vice-President was arriving at her home in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires after presiding over today's session in the Senate of the Nation.

ASÍ FUE EL INTENTO DE ASESINATO A CRISTINA KIRCHNER #AtentadoACFK pic.twitter.com/ZfpR0prCgD

— C5N (@C5N) September 2, 2022

All political parties have repudiated the attempted attack against the Vice-President, as have social and human rights referents.

“It is an enormous degree of madness and hatred what they tried to do to the Vice-President,” her son and national deputy, Máximo Kirchner, wrote on Twitter. The parliamentarian also published a statement from the ruling coalition, Frente de Todos, in which they emphasize that “the incitements poured from different areas of political, media and judicial power against her generated this climate of extreme violence”.

“A person who is indicated by those who are close to him shows a weapon and is stopped by custody personnel, he is taken away, the weapon is found. Now the situation has to be analyzed by our scientific people to evaluate the fingerprints and the capacity and disposition that this person had”, said the minister to C5N.

The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, spoke on national transmission of radio and television close to midnight in a recorded message.

In the broadcasted statement, Fernandez declared a national holiday for Friday, and during his speech he said: “In the framework of a massive presence of people in front of the vice-president's home, a man pointed a gun at her head and fired. Cristina remains alive because, for a reason not yet technically confirmed, the gun, which had five bullets, did not go off despite having been triggered”. Then, he emphasized: “This event is extremely serious, it is the most serious that has happened since we have recovered our democracy”.

The former president Mauricio Macri made a statement on Twitter, as well as other Argentinean government leaders and former presidents of the region.

Mi repudio absoluto al ataque sufrido por Cristina Kirchner que afortunadamente no ha tenido consecuencias para la vicepresidenta. Este gravísimo hecho exige un inmediato y profundo esclarecimiento por parte de la justicia y las fuerzas de seguridad.

— Mauricio Macri (@mauriciomacri) September 2, 2022

The weapon used by the assailant who attacked the Vice President tonight was a Bersa 380 caliber, Federal Police sources told La Nación. The weapon had a full magazine, although this information has not yet been officially confirmed. There was no bullet in the chamber.

TV images showed that the gun was a few centimeters away from the face of Kirchner, who ducked and then covered her head. It is not known if a projectile came out of the gun or if it triggered empty.

The weapon was seized by the police “a few meters away from the place”, says the police information. Sources told the mentioned newspaper that the gun was real.

Esta es la persona que quiso matar a Cristina Kirchner

-Es un hombre de 35 años, de origen brasileño.
-Su nombre es Fernando Sabag Montiel.
-Tendría antecedentes por portación de armas. pic.twitter.com/NFQNwSoAce

— C5N (@C5N) September 2, 2022

In the other hand, the provincial deputy of Santa Fe, Amalia Granata, assured on the same social network that it was a “pantomime”.