Argentina Vice President Cristina Fernandez skipped Assassination due to malfunction in weapon

A man of Brazilian nationality tried to kill the vice president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández, in front of her house, but the weapon failed , the country's president reported.

The man was quickly apprehended by Fernandez's security agents in the Thursday night incident, authorities said.

President Alberto Fernández, who is not related to the vice president, said the gun did not go off when the man tried to fire it.

“A man pointed a firearm at his head and pulled the trigger,” the president said in a national broadcast after the incident. He said the firearm was loaded with five bullets but “did not fire even though the trigger was pulled.”

The suspected gunman was identified as Fernando André Sabag Montiel, a Brazilian citizen, said a security ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He has no criminal record, the official said. and added that the weapon was a .32 caliber Bersa.

Cristina Fernandez, who served as president from 2007 to 2015, did not appear to have sustained any injuries, and the gunman was overpowered in seconds while standing in a crowd of her supporters.

Gina De Bai, a witness who was close to Fernandez during the incident, said she heard “the sound of the trigger being pulled.” She said she didn't realize it was a gun until security personnel ran up to the man.

President Fernández called it “the most serious incident since we recovered democracy” in 1983 after a military dictatorship. He urged political leaders and society in general to repudiate the shooting attempt.

The attack came as Cristina Fernandez faces trial for alleged acts of corruption during her presidency, charges she vehemently denies and which have led supporters to surround her home in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood of the Argentine capital.

A video broadcast on local television channels showed the vice president getting out of her vehicle surrounded by supporters when a man is seen holding out his hand with what appears to be a gun.

The vice president crouches as the people around the apparent gunman seem shocked at what is happening.

An unverified video posted on social media shows the gun almost touching Fernandez's face.

The president declared Friday a holiday “so that the Argentine people can, in peace and harmony, express themselves in defense of life, democracy and in solidarity with our vice president.”

Supporters of the vice president have been gathering in the streets surrounding her home since last week, when a prosecutor called for a 12-year sentence for Fernández, as well as a lifelong ban from holding public office.

Shortly after the incident, government officials were quick to report what they called an assassination attempt.

“When hate and violence are imposed on the debate of ideas, societies are destroyed and generate situations like the one we are experiencing today: an assassination attempt,” said Economy Minister Sergio Massa.

When Fernandez leaves his apartment around noon each day, he greets supporters and signs autographs before getting in his car to drive to the Senate. He repeats the same routine every night.

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, a candidate for his country's presidential elections next month, also sympathized with Fernández, calling her a “victim of a fascist criminal who does not know how to respect differences and diversity.”