Argentine security forces arrested a man who aimed his gun at Vice President Cristina Kirchner as she was returning home. A video showed the man approaching the vice president, pointing his gun at her face, and pulling the trigger, but the gun did not fire. Local media reported that the gun was loaded but malfunctioned. Several television channels broadcast images of this person aiming a weapon at Kirchner's head as she exited a car that was transporting her home.
Security Minister Aníbal Fernández stated, "The situation must now be analyzed by the scientific police team to assess this person's fingerprints, capabilities, and preparedness." The man who did not fire had approached Kirchner amidst a crowd waiting to greet her and request her signature on a book detailing her autobiography. Hundreds of supporters have gathered outside Cristina Kirchner's home since last week, and numerous marches or rallies have been organized in several cities across Argentina to support the vice president, initiated by movements or organizations involved in the ruling center-left coalition "Frente de Todos" or the Peronist party that Kirchner belongs to.
Kirchner served as president of the country for two terms from 2007 to 2015. The prosecution requested a 12-year prison sentence for her and to bar her from running for election for life in a fraud and corruption case related to the awarding of public contracts. Kirchner, a popular yet divisive figure, remains influential in Argentine politics and launched a strong counterattack the day after the ruling, condemning it as politically motivated. The Peronist left has rallied, accusing the judiciary of being politicized by the right, which it claims is used to "prevent" Kirchner from engaging in politics.
