Updated Sep 2, 2022 - World

Man detained after gun pointed at Argentina's vice president

Rebecca Falconer

Vice President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez waves to supporters at her home on September 01, 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. — Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner waves to supporters outside her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday. Photo: Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images

Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had a gun pointed at her as she greeted supporters outside her Buenos Aires home late Thursday in what some officials described as an "assassination attempt."

Details: President Alberto Fernández said in a national broadcast that the "homicide attempt" occurred when a "man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger," per AP, which reports that authorities have detained a suspect over the attack on Kirchner, who previously served as Argentina's president.

Video footage shared online shows Kirchner leave a vehicle and approach supporters when a man aims a handgun inches from her face.
She wasn't harmed in the incident and no shots were fired.

The big picture: Kirchner has been embroiled in a corruption case and supporters have been rallying outside her home since prosecutors last week requested a 12-year sentence, Reuters reports.

She's denies any wrongdoing, Axios' Dave Lawler notes.

What they're saying: Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa tweeted, "When hate and violence prevail over the debate of ideas, they destroy societies and generate situations like today's an assassination attempt."

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Man detained after gun pointed at Argentina's vice president

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