Fernando Andres Sabag Montiel, a 35-year-old Brazilian man, was taken into custody after he was caught on camera pointing a loaded gun at Fernandez de Kirchner’s face outside her home in Buenos Aires on Thursday night.
The suspect pulled the trigger of the Argentine-made Bersa 380 32-gauge handgun, but did not fire it, officials said.
“A man pointed a gun at her head and shot. Cristina is alive for a technical reason that is not yet clear. The gun, which had five bullets, did not go off even though the trigger was pulled,” said president Alberto Fernandez.
When cops later raided Montiel’s residence, they discovered his massive bullets, police sources told local newspaper La Nacion.
Montiel, who had previously been cited for knife possession last year, had been renting rooms throughout Buenos Aires and working as a driver before the attack, the sources added.
Fernando Andres Sabag Montiel, 35, was arrested after he was caught on camera pointing a loaded gun in the face of Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Thursday. via REUTERS The suspect reportedly pulled the trigger but failed to fire as he pointed the trigger. the president’s face, officials said. TELAM/AFP via Getty Images
Authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the botched assassination attempt on Fernandez de Kirchner — who has long been a divisive figure in Argentina and currently faces possible corruption charges.
Fernandez de Kirchner, who has yet to speak publicly about the ordeal, was photographed leaving her home and greeting supporters on Friday after a visit by President Fernandez.
Fernandez de Kirchner emerged from her home and waved to supporters Friday after the attack. AP
The vice president was surrounded by security personnel and closely interacting with hundreds of supporters who had gathered near her home when the assassination attempt unfolded at around 9pm on Thursday.
Footage showed the attacker pushing through the crowd and getting within arm’s length of Fernandez de Kirchner before pointing the gun at her face. The veep could be seen ducking and covering her face with her hands as the suspect quickly walked away.
According to police, the gun was found a few meters away.
Politicians from all sides in Argentina were quick to condemn the attack, which unfolded as political tensions continue to rise in the country amid an ongoing economic crisis driven by debt and inflation.
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez was seen arriving at the home of his vice president on Friday.AFP via Getty Images
“This is the most serious event we have gone through since Argentina returned to democracy,” President Fernandez said in a televised address, referring to the end of military rule in 1983.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also issued a statement on Friday condemning the attack, saying: “We stand with the government and people of Argentina in rejecting violence and hatred.”
Meanwhile, Miguel Angel Pichetto, a prominent lawmaker, quickly called for an investigation into how the suspect was even able to approach the vice president on her way home.
“There needs to be an investigation into how this matter got so close. What happened to her security?’ Pichetto told local television network TN. “You have to assess why she was so alone at the time, that the person could come almost face-to-face.”
Crowds gather outside Fernandez de Kirchner’s home daily amid the ongoing corruption investigation she faces over an alleged scheme to divert public funds while she was president between 2007 and 2015.
A prosecutor last month asked that Fernandez de Kirchnera – who has denied any wrongdoing – be sentenced to 12 years in prison.
With Post cables
