Thursday night there was an attempt on the life of Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernández. The attempt was thwarted and caught on camera.
NPR reported, President Alberto Fernández, who is not related to the vice president, a former president herself, said the pistol did not discharge when the man tried to fire it.
“A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger,” the President explained, that even though the trigger was pulled no bullet left the chamber luckily. The gun was apparently loaded with 5 bullets, it’s unclear why none were discharged.
The gunman was identified as Fernando André Sabag Montiel, a citizen of Brazil he reportedly has no criminal record and used a .32-caliber Bersa.
The Vice President walked away unscathed with no apparent injuries. It took only a few mere seconds for the would get an assassin to be overpowered by security.
The attempt is now being referred to by the President as the most serious incident since democracy was recovered in 1983.
The Vice President is reportedly facing a trial for corruption while she served as President of Argentina from 2007-15. Many believe that the assassination attempt was provoked by possible corruption.
A video shows the entire incident unfold. The Vice President exists her vehicle to be met by a gunman holding a pistol. The Vice President ducked after the trigger was apparently pulled.
It remains unclear why the gun did not fire, but a jam in the weapon may have saved the life of Fernández.
Social media videos show that the pistol was actually so close to Fernández that it nearly made contact with her head.
Thee President then decided to declare Friday a holiday “so the Argentine people can, in peace and harmony, express itself in defense of life, democracy and in solidarity with our vice president.”