Gun jams during bid to kill Argentina vice-president

(BBC) Argentina’s vice-president has narrowly avoided assassination after a gunman’s weapon jammed as he aimed at her.

Footage shows the moment Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – surrounded by a mob of supporters – found herself face-to-face with the loaded weapon.

The former president was returning home from court, where she faces allegations of corruption. She denies the charges.

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.

In another video, people in the crowd appear to try to block Ms Fernández de Kirchner from the suspected gunman, who came within inches of her. The crowd has been gathering outside her home for the last few nights in a show of support as she fights charges of defrauding the state and being involved in a scheme to divert public funds while she was president.

A police spokesperson earlier told Reuters news agency that a weapon was found a few metres from the scene after the man had been arrested.

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