Moment when Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner faced a gun at point-blank range. Miraculously the firearm did not discharge. Photo: Merco Press.
Caracas, September 1, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner survived an assassination attempt this Thursday, September 1, when a man pointed a gun in her face and made the gesture of pulling the trigger before a crowd of her supporters and security agents surrounded him.
The incident occurred late on Thursday evening, as Fernández was getting out of her car in front of her home in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta and greeting supporters who have been on vigil there for almost two weeks, showing their support against the political-judicial persecution that is trying to disqualify her from the 2023 presidential race. In the crowd, a man approached the vice president and aimed a pistol in her face at point-blank range and tried to pull the trigger. However, the gun did not fire, possibly due to some snag in the barrel.
In the confusion, a group of Fernández supporters surrounded the assailant, and law enforcement agents captured the attacker, who was later identified as 35-year-old Fernando André Sabag Montiel, a Brazilian citizen who had previously been arrested in 2021 for a minor incident. The weapon used by the attacker was an Argentinian-made BERSA semi-automatic gun of 0.32 caliber, fully loaded with five bullets, which could have killed or gravely injured Fernández had a shot been discharged.
A gunman just tried to kill Argentina's left-wing Vice President Cristina Kirchner
Meanwhile, Argentina's right wing uses bogus lawfare tactics to try to ban her from politics
And centrist President Alberto Fernández is a failure
The situation is awfulhttps://t.co/g3CmmURJmw
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) September 2, 2022
Initially, mainstream Argentine media describing the incident mentioned a person who had been arrested for holding a gun while being in the vigil in front of Fernández’s home. However, within a little while, videos began circulating on social media platforms showing the gravity of the incident, which can only be described as an assassination attempt.
#Argentina: A close-up vídeo of the assassination attempt against Cristina Kirchner. The gun was waved within inches of her face. The would be assassin has been identified as Fernando Andrés Sabag, a 35 year old Brazilian. pic.twitter.com/4LEvUJc0Sn
— Denis Rogatyuk (@DenisRogatyuk) September 2, 2022
Kawsachun News tweeted reports from Argentine media channel C5N that showed a social media photo of the attacker, in which he is seen with the Sonnenrad/Black Sun Nazi symbol tattoo in his arm.
The man who attempted to assassinate Vice President Cristina has what looks to be a Sonnenrad/Black Sun symbol tattoo on his arm. @C5N pic.twitter.com/AnI4YTSzcw
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) September 2, 2022
A few hours after the incident, Argentinian President Alberto Fernández, in a short televised address to the nation, repudiated the incident and explained that for some reason not yet understood the firearm did not discharge despite the trigger having been pulled. He declared a national holiday for Friday, September 2, to let the country process the criminal incident and also to let Argentinians mobilize to express their repudiation.
President Alberto Fernández to the nation: "@CFKArgentina remains alive because for a reason not yet technically confirmed, the gun which had five bullets did not fire despite the trigger being pulled." pic.twitter.com/bp61EockbA
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) September 2, 2022
International condemnation
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was among the first heads of state to condemn the incident publicly. He wrote on his Twitter account: “We send our solidarity to Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner after the attempt on her life. We strongly repudiate this action that is trying to destabilize the peace of the Argentine people. The Great Homeland is with you, compañera!”
Enviamos nuestra solidaridad a la Vicepresidenta @CFKArgentina, ante el atentado contra su vida. Repudiamos enérgicamente esta acción que busca desestabilizar la Paz del hermano pueblo argentino. ¡La Patria Grande está contigo compañera! #FuerzaArgentina #FuerzaCristina pic.twitter.com/BEqRsYIMjl
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) September 2, 2022
President Luis Arce of Bolivia also wrote a tweet denouncing the incident. “We emphatically repudiate the attempt on the life of sister Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, vice president of Argentina.,” he wrote. “We, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, send all our support to her, her family, the Argentine government, and people.”
https://twitter.com/LuchoXBolivia/status/1565533411938385920
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Former Bolivian President Evo Morales said: “We condemn the cowardly assassination attempt against our sister Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. All our solidarity to the vice president. The Great Homeland is with you sister. The criminal right servile to imperialism will not pass. The free and dignified people of Argentina will defeat it.”
Condenamos el cobarde intento de magnicidio en contra de nuestra hermana @CFKArgentina. Toda nuestra solidaridad a la vicepresidenta. La Patria Grande está contigo hermana. La derecha criminal y servil al imperialismo no pasará. El pueblo libre y digno de #Argentina la derrotará. pic.twitter.com/oKQe5oI2BZ
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) September 2, 2022
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said, “From Cuba, dismayed by the attempted assassination against Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, we convey all our solidarity to the vice president, the government and the Argentine people.”
Desde #Cuba, consternados con el intento de asesinato de @CFKArgentina, trasladamos toda nuestra solidaridad a la vicepresidenta, al gobierno y al pueblo argentinos.#TodosConCristina #FuerzaCristinahttps://t.co/n7n2b8CyMR
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) September 2, 2022
Chilean President Gabriel Boric condemned the incident in a Twitter post. “The assassination attempt on the vice president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández, deserves the repudiation and condemnation of the entire continent,” he wrote. “My solidarity with her, the government and the Argentine people. Debate of ideas and dialogue should always be the path, weapons or violence never.”
El intento de asesinato a la vicepresidenta de Argentina, Cristina Fernández, merece el repudio y condena de todo el continente. Mi solidaridad con ella, el Gobierno y el pueblo argentino. El camino siempre será el debate de ideas y el diálogo, nunca las armas ni la violencia.
— Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) September 2, 2022
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo also expressed his solidarity with the vice president of Argentina. “All my solidarity with Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the Argentine people,” he wrote on Twitter. “The Peruvian government condemns the attack against her life that took place today. We repudiate any act of violence.”
Toda mi solidaridad con la vicepresidenta @CFKArgentina y el pueblo argentino. El Gobierno peruano condena el atentado ocurrido hoy contra su vida. Repudiamos todo acto de violencia.
— Pedro Castillo Terrones (@PedroCastilloTe) September 2, 2022
Even far-right Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso posted a tweet in the same vein as the rest of the presidents of the region. “I condemn the attack committed against Vice President Cristina Fernández and I send Ecuador’s solidarity to the Argentine government of Alberto Fernández. We believe in democracy and peace. We reject hate and violence,” he wrote in the post.
Condeno los hechos registrados contra la vicepresidenta Cristina Fernández y envío la solidaridad del Ecuador al Gobierno argentino de @alferdez. Creemos en la democracia y la paz. Rechazamos el odio y la violencia.
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) September 2, 2022
Until the time of publishing this article, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador were yet to comment on the incident. However, the Foreign Affairs Secretariat of Mexico, through its official Twitter account, expressed the repudiation of the Mexican government against the attempt on Cristina Fernández’s life.
El Gobierno de México expresa su preocupación por los hechos ocurridos hoy en Buenos Aires, al tiempo que expresa su solidaridad con la vicepresidenta de Argentina, Cristina Fernández, y con el pueblo y Gobierno de esa nación.
— Relaciones Exteriores (@SRE_mx) September 2, 2022
Former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and former president of Brazil and presidential candidate for October’s election, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, also condemned the assassination attempt and expressed their solidarity with the Argentinian vice president and the people of Argentina.
Orinoco Tribune special by staff
OT/JRE/SC/SL
