Man arrested for pointing gun at Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s head

Argentine authorities have arrested an individual who tried to pull a gun inches away from the head of Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the vicinity of the former president’s home.

The Argentine government has confirmed that the arrested person is a 35-year-old man of Brazilian origin and with a record for illegal possession of weapons, previously arrested last March, reported ‘Clarín’.

In a live broadcast of the Public Television channel, it can be seen how a crowd of people greet the vice-president in the surroundings of her house, moment in which a person raises a gun and points it at Fernandez de Kirchner’s head.

The Minister of Security, Aníbal Fernández, has detailed that the arrested person “had a gun” and has been detained, initially, “by custody personnel”, as reported by the agency Télam.

“They pull him aside and find the weapon. Now this issue has to be analyzed by our people to see the disposition that this person had,” the minister assured.

The pistol of the suspect of trying to assassinate the Argentine vice-president was loaded with five 380 caliber bullets, although for some still unknown reason it did not fire when it was decoyed, according to ‘Ambito’.

The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, has described the assassination attempt as the “most serious event that has happened” since the return of democracy to the country.

“Dear Argentine people, shortly after 9 p.m. a man made an attempt on the life of the vice-president of the nation (…) Cristina remains alive because, for some reason, the gun that had five bullets did not fire despite having been triggered,” said the Argentine president in a televised message minutes before midnight (local time).

“This attack deserves the most energetic repudiation of all political sectors, of all the men and women who make up the republic. These facts affect our democracy,” he added, assuring that social peace has been disturbed.

Fernández urged the Argentine citizens to recover the democratic coexistence broken by the hate speech, alluding that it is possible to have “deep disagreements” without engendering violence.

He also called for “banishing” violence and hatred from the political and media discourse of citizens: “Argentina cannot waste another minute”.

“May the shock, horror and repudiation that this event generates in us become a permanent commitment to eradicate hatred and violence from life in democracy,” said Fernandez, before announcing a national holiday for this Friday so that “in peace and harmony the people can express themselves in defense of life.”

“The Argentine people want to live with democracy and in peace and ours has the firm commitment to work every day so that this is achieved,” she added.

REACTIONS TO THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON KIRCHNER.

Nevertheless, some political personalities have come out to show their support for the former president, as in the case of the Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero, who has assured that an attempt has been made to assassinate Fernandez de Kirchner.

“They wanted to kill the vice-president. It is the most serious act of political violence since the return of democracy. Strength Cristina,” he has asserted in a message on Twitter.

In this sense, the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, has assured that “when hatred and violence are imposed over the debate of ideas, they destroy societies and situations like today’s are generated: an attempt of assassination”.

The former Argentinean president Mauricio Macri has also expressed his “absolute repudiation” of the attack suffered by the country’s vice-president, and has called for an “immediate and profound clarification” of the facts.

“My absolute repudiation to the attack suffered by Cristina Kirchner that fortunately has had no consequences for the vice-president. This very serious fact demands an immediate and deep clarification by the justice and security forces,” he has also said on Twitter.

Some presidents of other countries have also sent messages of support to Fernández de Kirchner.

“We send our solidarity to the vice president of Argentina in the face of the attempt on her life. We strongly repudiate this action that seeks to destabilize the peace of the brotherly Argentine people,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has expressed on the social network.

Gabriel Boric, president of Chile, has maintained that the assassination attempt on the vice president of Argentina “deserves the repudiation and condemnation of the entire continent.”

“My solidarity with her, the government and the Argentine people. The path will always be the debate of ideas and dialogue, never weapons or violence,” the Chilean president stressed.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has also condemned what he described as an “attempt of assassination against our sister”.

“All our solidarity to the vice president. The Patria Grande is with you sister. The criminal and servile right wing to imperialism will not pass. The free and dignified people of Argentina will defeat it”, she added.

Brazilian presidential candidate Lula da Silva has sent all his solidarity to Fernandez de Kirchner, assuring that “she is a woman who deserves the respect of all democrats in the world.”

He was also relieved that she escaped unharmed from an attack perpetrated by “a fascist criminal who does not know how to respect differences and diversity.”

From Cuba, President Miguel Díaz-Canel has expressed his dismay at the assassination attempt on the former Argentinean president, to whom he has conveyed all his solidarity.

The assassination attempt has taken place after two weeks of a remarkable political tension in the country following the request of the Prosecutor’s Office to sentence the former president to 12 years in prison for several alleged corruption crimes.

After the announcement, the government and activists have shown their support to Fernandez de Kirchner, although detractors of the vice-president had already approached her home to rebuke her.

695384.1.260.149.20220902032320