A man attempted to assassinate the vice president of Argentina outside her home, and shocking video captures the moment he pointed a revolver at her face and released the trigger.
The revolver accidentally discharged inches from Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, 69, but happily she was unharmed, according to the president of the nation.
On Thursday night in Buenos Aires, hundreds of fans had gathered in front of de Kirchner’s front door when a guy brandished a gun and threatened the politician.
Dramatic video captures the man brandishing a gun inches from her head as she greeted the audience.
As her security guards quickly overcame the man after he pulled the trigger, the scared politician can be seen ducking and holding her head.
The gun, which was swiftly confiscated, had five bullets loaded, but it jammed when it was fired, according to President Alberto Fernandez.
He said: “A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger.
“Cristina is still alive because, for some reason yet to be confirmed, the gun did not fire.”
The man – who cops have identified 35-year-old Fernando André Sabag Montiel from Brazilian – was detained within seconds.
Gina De Bai, a witness who was near the vice president during the incident, told The Associated Press she heard the sound of the trigger being pulled.
She claimed she wasn’t aware it was a firearm until security personnel tackled the man.
The horrifying occurrence was referred to as a “attempted assassination” by the nation’s economy minister, Sergio Massa.
Assassination attempt: “When hate and violence win over discussion, societies are destroyed,” he tweeted.
The weapon, according to a Security Ministry officer who spoke on the record while requesting anonymity, was a Bersa.32 calibre.
A Nazi tattoo is reportedly on the suspect, Montiel, who has posted selfies with influencer La Chabona and media star Zulma Lobato on social media.
Additionally, he has made appearances on Argentine television, most recently on the channel Cronica, when he criticised the Argentine government and Economy Minister Sergio Massa.
He has a noticeable tattoo of a black sun on his elbow, as shown in photos.
The black sun, also known as the sun wheel, is a symbol linked with Nazi occultism that was first utilised by Nazi Germany and then by neo-Nazis.
The assassination attempt was described by President Fernandez as “the most dangerous occurrence since we recovered democracy in 1983 after a military dictatorship.”
The attack was denounced by former president Mauricio Macri as well.
“This very serious event deserves a quick and deep clarification by the judicial and security forces,” he wrote on Twitter.
De Kirchner was returning from court when she saw the throng; she is currently embroiled in a corruption controversy.
While she served as president from 2007 to 2015, she is suspected of taking part in a scheme to steal state monies.
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