A man attempting to shoot Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentina's vice-president and former President, has been arrested.
Argentina's vice president survived an assassination attempt after a gunman pointed a loaded handgun at her head at point blank range outside her home in Buenos Aires on Thursday
The man pulled the trigger but the weapon which was loaded with five bullets, jammed and did not fire.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, 69, arrived outside her home in Recoleta, Buenos Aires, yesterday evening to a crowd of supporters when the would-be assassin emerged and aimed the gun at her.
VIDEO
Video footage of the incident shows the vice president smiling as she walks by a crowd of people. A man in the crowd then pushes forward, pointing a gun directly at Fernández de Kirchner's face and presses the trigger but luckily no bullet was fired. The two-time former President flinches backward, unharmed.
The attacker was taken into custody after a few seconds of confusion and panic.
Argentina's official news agency, Télam, identified the man as 35-year-old Brazilian national Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel.
The Argentine Ministry of Security confirmed the weapon used in the incident was a .380 firearm with bullets inside.
In a televised address late Thursday, Argentina's President Alberto Fernández said the suspect aimed a loaded gun at Fernández de Kirchner, which did not fire despite the pulled trigger.
"Cristina is still alive because -- for some reason we can't technically confirm at this moment -- the weapon, which was armed with five bullets, did not shoot although the trigger was pulled," he said.
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