Authorities have arrested the man accused of trying to assassinate Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández.
According to the Associated Press, 35-year-old Brazilian Fernando Andres Sabag Montiel was taken into custody Thursday night, shortly after he pulled a gun on the politician outside her home in Buenos Aires. Video shows Fernández exiting her car and greeting a large crowd of supporters on the street. Seconds later, a man is seen aiming a handgun at point-blank range toward Fernández before he appears to pull the trigger. A clicking sound can be heard in the footage; however, no shots rang out, as the weapon apparently jammed.
Fernández was visibly shaken, but was left unharmed.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Authorities say he had been living in Argentina since 1998 and had no criminal history. Though the man’s motives remain unclear, the incident came as Fernández faces allegations of corruption. She is accused of taking bribes in exchange for public works contracts during her presidency between 2007-2015. Fernández has denied the allegations, and claims the investigation is politically motivated.
President Alberto Fernández, who is not related to the VP, called the attack “the most serious incident since we recovered democracy.” He also declared Sept. 2 a national holiday so citizens could express solidarity with the VP.
“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,” he said. “Our vice president has been attacked and social peace has been disturbed.”
Cristina was the second woman to serve as Argentina’s president, following Isabel Perón. She has yet to publicly address the assassination attempt.
