Argentina: Attempt to kill Vice President fails when handgun misfires
Buenos Aires (AP): A man tried to kill Argentina's politically powerful Vice President Cristina Fern ndez outside her home, but the handgun misfired, the country's president said.
The man was quickly overpowered by her security officers in the incident Thursday night, officials said.
President Alberto Fern ndez, 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.
President Fern ndez called it the most serious incident since we recovered democracy in 1983 after a military dictatorship and urged political leaders, and society at large, to repudiate the attempted shooting.
The attack came as the vice president is facing a trial for alleged acts of corruption during her 2007-2015 presidency charges that she vehemently denies and that have led her supporters to surround her home in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood of Argentina's capital.
Video broadcast on local television channels showed Fern ndez exiting her vehicle surrounded by supporters when a man is seen extending his hand with what looks like a pistol. The vice president ducks as people around the apparent gunman appear shocked at what is happening.
Unverified video posted on social media shows the pistol almost touched Fern ndez's face.
The alleged gunman was identified as Fernando Andr Sabag Montiel, a Brazilian citizen, said an official at the Security Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He does not have a criminal record, the official said. ading that the weapon was a .32-caliber Bersa.
The president declared Friday a holiday so the Argentine people can, in peace and harmony, express itself 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 Fern ndez as well as a life-long prohibition in holding public office in the corruption case.
Shortly after the incident, government officials were quick to decry what they called an assassination attempt.
When hate and violence are imposed over the debate of ideas, societies are destroyed and generate situations like the one seen today: an assassination attempt, Economy Minister Sergio Massa said.
Cabinet ministers issued a news release saying they energetically condemn the attempted homicide" of the vice president. What happened tonight is of extreme gravity and threatens democracy, institutions and the rule of law.
Former President Mauricio Macri, a conservative who succeeded the left-of-center Fern ndez in the presidency, also condemned the attack. This very serious event demands an immediate and profound clarification by the judiciary and security forces, Macri wrote on Twitter.
Patricia Bullrich, president of the opposition Republican Proposal party, criticized President Fern ndez's reaction to the attack, accusing him of playing with fire. She said that instead of seriously investigating a serious incident, he accuses the opposition and the press, decreeing a national holiday to mobilize activists.
Tensions have been running high in the Recoleta neighborhood since the weekend, when the vice president's supporters clashed with police in the streets surrounding her apartment amid an effort by law enforcement officers to clear the area. Following the clashes, what had been a strong police presence around the vice president's apartment was reduced.
When Fern ndez leaves her apartment every day at around noon, she greets supporters and signs autographs before getting in her vehicle to go to the Senate. She repeats the same routine every evening.
Following the incident, allies of the vice president quickly pointed the finger at the opposition for what they said is hateful speech that promotes violence. In recent days, several key officials have said opposition leaders were looking for a fatality.
This is a historic event in Argentina that must be a before-and-after, Buenos Aires Gov. Axel Kicillof said.
Regional leaders also condemned the attack.
We send our solidarity to the vice president in this attempt against her life, Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro said on Twitter.
Former Brazilian President Luiz In cio Lula Da Silva, who is a candidate in that nation's presidential election next month, also expressed solidarity with Fern ndez, calling her a victim of a fascist criminal who doesn't know how to respect differences and diversity. (AP)
Condenamos el cobarde intento de magnicidio en contra de nuestra hermana @CFKArgentina. Toda nuestra solidaridad a la vicepresidenta. La Patria Grande está contigo hermana. La derecha criminal y servil al imperialismo no pasará. El pueblo libre y digno de #Argentina la derrotará. pic.twitter.com/oKQe5oI2BZ
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) September 2, 2022
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nightclub fire: Goa court remands Luthra brothers in police custody for five days
Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.
The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.
ALSO READ: Dharmasthala mass burial case: Accused Chinnayya expected to be released on Wednesday
“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.
“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.
A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.
The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.
After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.
The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.
Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.
After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.
ALSO READ: Woman threatens to end life as police official refuses to accept love proposal, FIR registered
The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.
