2LT International News

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: An Argentine court has sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for attempting to assassinate former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2022 — a shocking attack that gripped the nation and deepened its political divides.

His accomplice received an eight-year sentence, bringing to a close a case that had captivated Argentina for more than three years.

The court in Buenos Aires found Fernando Sabag Montiel guilty of trying to kill Fernández, now 72, on September 1, 2022, outside her home. Montiel pushed through a crowd of supporters, pointed a loaded handgun at Fernández’s face, and pulled the trigger — but the weapon jammed, sparing her life. The moment, caught on video, stunned Argentina and sparked both mass protests and waves of conspiracy theories.

Montiel’s former girlfriend, Brenda Uliarte, was convicted as an accomplice after prosecutors showed WhatsApp messages discussing the gun and surveillance of Fernández’s movements. The pair, prosecutors argued, planned the assassination attempt. Uliarte denied involvement but was sentenced to eight years.

At the time, Fernández was serving as Argentina’s vice president and facing trial for corruption. She was accused of channeling lucrative public works contracts to a politically connected businessman. Her supporters rallied outside her Buenos Aires apartment daily, framing the charges as a political vendetta.

A towering figure in Argentine politics, Fernández served two terms as president from 2007 to 2015 and remains one of Latin America’s most polarizing leaders. Her brand of left-wing populism won her fervent loyalty among working-class Argentines but also drew sharp criticism for fueling chronic inflation and fiscal instability.

Earlier this year, Fernández herself was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption. Because of her age and lingering security concerns following the assassination attempt, a court allowed her to serve the sentence under house arrest. She is barred from holding public office but continues to exert political influence — regularly posting on social media, greeting supporters from her balcony, and receiving visiting dignitaries, including Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

During the October 8 trial, Montiel admitted to the crime, claiming he wanted to “deliver justice” for what he viewed as Fernández’s corruption. Fernández’s supporters apprehended him moments after the failed shooting as he tried to flee through the crowd.