Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez was threatened Thursday night by a man in a crowd who pointed a gun inches away from her face.
The alleged assassination attempt happened in front of the vice president’s home in Buenos Aires. Video of the incident shows Fernandez ducking down in shock after the weapon is pointed at her before the armed man appears to get wrestled away.
WATCH: Person tries to assassinate the Vice President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchnerpic.twitter.com/y7pRRoL1FR
— BNO News (@BNONews) September 2, 2022
Sergio Massa, the country’s economy minister, called the incident an “attempted assassination,” Reuters reported. “When hate and violence prevail over debate, societies are destroyed and situations like these arise,” he tweeted.
The suspect was reportedly detained by the vice president’s security team. “A person who was identified by those who were close to him who had a gun was detained by (the vice president’s) security personnel. They set him aside, found the weapon, and now it must be analyzed,” Security Minister Aníbal Fernández told the local news station, according to ABC News. A police spokesman told Reuters that the suspect could be from Brazil.
Hundreds of people gathered in support of Fernandez, the former president of Argentina, as she faces a corruption trial. Fernandez is accused of illegally directing state funds to a family friend through public works contracts. Prosecutors are seeking a 12-year prison sentence for the 69-year-old vice president.
Supporters and protesters have gathered for nearly a week, and demonstrations turned violent last weekend, resulting in five police officers being injured and four protesters being placed under arrest.