Lauren C. Moye, FISM News
Argentina Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, 69, survived an assassination attempt on Thursday night when the assailant’s loaded pistol jammed.
Fernandez de Kirchner, who also served as a former president of the country, arrived outside her Buenos Aires apartment complex on Thursday night where a crowd had already gathered in anticipation of her arrival. When she paused to shake hands with her supporters, the would-be assassin held a handgun only inches from the vice president’s face.
When the gunman pulled the trigger, the only sound the gun made was a distinctive click as it apparently jammed.
Members of the crowd and Fernandez’s security detail seized the man, who was later identified as Fernando Sabag Montiel, 35. The incident took place around 9 p.m. local time.
“We can disagree, we can have deep disagreements, but in a democratic society, hate speech cannot take place because it breeds violence and there is no possibility of violence co-existing with democracy,” Argentina President Alberto Fernandez said in a national broadcast about the incident. “Our vice president has been attacked and social peace has been disturbed.”
He declared that Friday would be a national holiday because of “the most serious incident” against Argentina’s democracy since 1983. That’s the year the country ended a military dictatorship.
The president and vice president are not related.
So far, authorities investigating the incident have not found a motive behind Sabag Montiel’s assassination attempt. The Brazilian citizen has lived in Argentina since he was 11 years old. It is also unclear if he acted alone or if he acted on behalf of an organization that wished to harm the vice president.
Despite early reports that Sabag Montiel had no criminal history, a police spokesman told CNN that the man had been arrested last year for carrying a large knife in public. A police raid on his home found 100 bullets.
Sabag Montiel also has a “Black Sun” tattoo on his elbow, as seen in a social media post. This symbol is associated with neo-Nazis.
He is currently in police custody while awaiting trial for an attempted murder charge.
Argentina has a history of political violence and deep divisions between political factions in the nation.
Fernandez de Kirchner herself is a controversial figure who is currently facing charges of corruption stemming from her time as president between 2007 and 2015. Prosecutors have alleged she had a scheme during this time to divert public funds and have called for a 12-year prison sentence.
The vice president has denied wrongdoing.
Despite accusations against her, Fernandez de Kirchner remains one of the most influential politicians in the country. Her assassination attempt has been a unifying point for citizens.
“Thank God and the Virgin that the bullet didn’t come out,” said 58-year-old teacher Santiago Bianco to Reuters.
Bianco was one of the hundreds of thousands who crowded into the Plaza de Mayo, located near the presidential offices in Casa Rosada, yesterday in a show of support for the vice president.