Under tight security and amid national turmoil, Argentine Vice President Cristina Kirchner left her apartment in Buenos Aires’ Recoleta district for the first time, nearly 19 hours after she was attacked.
Cristina smiled and greeted the fans who were at the scene and got into a black car – a Toyota Hilux. Earlier, he met with President Alberto Fernández for 45 minutes.
A man who threatened the Argentine vice president with a gun was arrested last night. The person responsible was determined by the police as 35-year-old Brazilian Fernando Sabag Montiel.
The action took place around 9:00 pm (local time) when Kirchner arrived at his home after presiding over the Senate session. The incident occurred at the entrance of the residence, where hundreds of protesters had gathered in recent days to support the former president, who is on trial for corruption allegations. (Watch the video below)
Local television footage captured the moment Kirchner got out of the car, bowed his head in the middle of the crowd, and a man approached from a meter away, gun in hand. According to the Argentine television channel C5N, the gun failed, which prevented him from shooting the vice president.
According to local media, the man was using a .380 caliber pistol and had bullets in its magazine.
After his arrest, the Brazilian was transferred to the Federal Police headquarters in Villa Lugano and is at the disposal of Federal Judge María Eugenia Capuchetti.
Argentine Security Minister Annibal Fernández confirmed that the suspect was arrested by federal police officers in custody of the vice president. Fernández explained that after the threat, the weapon was found, seized and is now with the science police for analysis.
Argentine President Alberto Fernández said in a speech on national television that he regrets what happened and that hate speech can no longer be made. Fernandez declared Friday a national holiday across Argentina.
This is a very big gravity fact. A man pointed a gun to his head. Cristina survives. The gun with five bullets was not fired. This attack deserves to be rejected by Argentine society. These facts affect our democracy. Speeches that incite hatred cannot be made. An attempt was made against our vice president and our social peace was disturbed. Alberto Fernandez, President of Argentina
Who is the suspect?
The suspect, who pointed the gun at the head of the vice president, was determined to be the 35-year-old Brazilian Fernando Andrés Sabag Montiel. According to the Clarín newspaper, Sabag Montiel has worked in Argentina since 1993 and as a practice driver.
According to police information, Montiel has tattoos with Nazi symbols from his social media.
On his social networks that were shut down at dawn, he identified himself as Fernando ‘Salim’ Montiel and was a follower of groups such as ‘evil communism’, among others ‘linked to radicalism and hatred’ as described on the newspaper’s portal. . From La Nación, Buenos Aires.
Photographs of Montiel appear on news portals and television stations in Argentina, which also reminds us of his last appearance in a news report by Crónica TV on the streets of Buenos Aires. “Going to work works,” she says in front of the camera.
Montiel had a history of carrying unconventional weapons dated March 17, 2021. At the time, though, according to the publication, the police officer noticed that a parked car – a black prism chevrolet – was missing the backplate. When Sabag Montiel opened the driver’s door to retrieve the documents, a 35-centimetre-long knife had fallen. However, he argued that he carried the gun for self-defense.
source: Noticias
