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September 2, 2022
Footage shows the moment the vice President surrounded by a mob of supporters, found herself face-to-face with the loaded weapon.
All football matches in Argentina were on Friday postponed following an assassination attempt on the country's vice president.
Argentina’s politically powerful Vice President, Cristina Fernández on Thursday narrowly escaped assassination after a gunman’s weapon jammed as he aimed at her.
Footage shows the moment the vice President surrounded by a mob of supporters, found herself face-to-face with the loaded weapon.
The man was quickly overpowered by her security officers in the incident Thursday night, according to the BBC.
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 said in a national broadcast following the incident. He said the firearm was loaded with five bullets but “didn’t fire even though the trigger was pulled.”
The vice president did not appear to have suffered any injury, and the man was overpowered within seconds as he stood among a crowd of her supporters.
Gina De Bai, a witness who was near the vice president during the incident, told The Associated Press she heard “the sound of the trigger being pulled.” She said she didn’t realize it was a handgun until the man was rushed by security personnel.
Police said the gunman, who local media identified as a 35-year-old Brazilian man, has been taken into custody.
They are attempting to establish a motive for the attack on the left-leaning populist, who was Argentina’s president from 2007 to 2015, and its first lady for four years before that.
President Alberto Fernández revealed the gun was loaded with five bullets, but failed to fire when triggered.
Video circulating on social media shows the gun emerging from the crowd, and Ms Fernández de Kirchner ducking to avoid it – covering her ears as she crouches.
However, the Argentine Football Association, has announced all games will be suspended, after the government declared a national holiday, so 'the Argentine people can to speak out in defence of life, democracy'.
According to Daily Mail, three matches were scheduled to take place in the country's top tier, including Patronato vs Unión, Rosario Central vs Talleres and Lanús vs Tigre, with many more games in lower leagues.