Buenos Aires: One person is in custody after pointing a gun at Argentina’s former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she greeted supporters outside her home in the capital.
Video clips show a man in a crowd aim the gun at the face of the Justicialist Party leader at close range – but the weapon does not fire.
de Kirchner was not hurt in the incident outside her Buenos Aires home, the BBC reported.
The politician is in the midst of a corruption trial and was returning from court. She denies the charges.
Argentina’s economy minister, Sergio Massa, called the attempted shooting an “attempted assassination”.
“When hate and violence prevail over debate, societies are destroyed and situations like these arise: attempted assassination,” he said in a tweet.
Footage shared on local media showed the man aiming a gun inches away from her head and appearing to attempt a shot. She then lowers her head but no shots were fired.
In another video posted on social media, others in the crowd appear to try to block de Kirchner from the suspected gunman.
de Kirchner is accused of defrauding the state and being involved in a scheme to divert public funds while she was president between 2007 and 2015, the BBC reported.
If convicted she could face 12 years in prison and a lifetime ban from politics.
