The vice president of Argentina survived an assassination attempt outside her home Thursday in Buenos Aires. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was returning to her residence when a man approached her out of a large crowd. He pulled the trigger of a handgun at her head, but the weapon misfired, according to multiple reports.
Authorities were later able to take the shooter, Fernando Andres Sabag Montiel, into custody. The 35-year-old Brazilian man lives in Argentina, according to The New York Times.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Argentinian Vice President Survives Assassination Attempt
Viral video clip from Twitter shows the terrifying attempted assassination. The Times reported that the 69-year-old politician’s supporters have rallied outside her home in recent weeks. As she navigates an ongoing court case, in which she is accused of funneling state funds for a public project to a family friend.
As people in the crowd yelled Cristina! Cristina!, a gun is pointed directly in front of Kirchner. The vice president flinched and crouched down on the street momentarily, while those surrounding her processed the shock of the split-second moment.
“Get him!” someone yelled, as one video account of the scene cut away abruptly
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was returning to her residence when a man approached her out of a large crowd and pulled the trigger of a handgun at her head, but the weapon misfired, according to multiple reports.
Shortly after the incident, Argentina‘s president Alberto Fernández addressed the nation.
“Cristina is still alive because, for reasons that have not been confirmed technically, the weapon, which was loaded with five bullets, did not fire,” Fernández said. “This is the most serious event since we recovered our democracy.”
Fernandez then announced an investigation would commence, and that Friday would be a national holiday in “solidarity” with the vice president.