Argentina's Vice President Makes First Statement About Assassination Attempt

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Thursday made the first public statement about the assassination attempt on her and thanked God for staying alive.

"I am alive thanks to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary... Pope Francis called me, we spoke on the phone. He told me that acts of hatred and cruelty are always preceded by words and expressions of hatred, then aggression grows and grows and outgrows...," Kirchner stopped her speech, adding that she didn't want to talk about that day anymore. She said these words at a meeting with priests.

On September 1, Argentine police detained a 35-year-old Buenos Aires resident for attempting to assassinate Kirchner outside her home. According to local media reports, the perpetrator pointed a handgun at Kirchner, but it did not go off. The vice president was not injured during the incident.

The assailant, Fernando Andre Sabag Montiel, who is a Brazilian citizen, has refused to testify. He reportedly had a bruise under his eye when he appeared in front of the judge. Asked about what happened, Montiel said he was beaten by Kirchner supporters during his arrest.

The attacker could face between 15 and 30 years in prison, a lawyer has told Sputnik, specifying that Montiel can ask for deportation to his homeland after serving half the term. If he goes back to Brazil, the Argentine authorities are likely to ban him from returning to Argentina for the rest of his life.

Thousands of people gathered for a demonstration in Buenos Aires on September 2 to express support for Kirchner. September 2 was declared a national day off by Argentine President Alberto Fernandez.

On August 22, a federal prosecutor requested that Kirchner, a former president, should be jailed for 12 years and prohibited from holding public office indefinitely amid corruption allegations.

Kirchner is accused of abusing her authority during her presidency in 2007-2015, to steer public contracts to Lazaro Antonio Baez, a businessman and an alleged close friend, who owns a construction company.