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Video shows the horrifying moment assassin's gun jams as tries to shoot Argentina's VP at point blank range

The gunman, identified as 35-year-old Fernando Sabag Montiel, was tackled by security and arrested after his .32-caliber Bersa jammed

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: The vice president of Argentina narrowly survived an assassination attempt after a man pointed a loaded handgun at her head at point-blank range but couldn't fire as the weapon jammed.

The 69-year-old Cristina Fernández de Kirchner arrived outside her Recoleta, Buenos Aires residence Thursday evening, September 1, to a crowd of supporters when the potential assassin aimed the gun at her. The gunman, later identified as 35-year-old Fernando Sabag Montiel, was tackled by security and arrested after his .32-caliber Bersa -- which was loaded with five bullets -- jammed when he pulled the trigger.

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Viral footage made waves on the internet as it captured the moment the politician was greeting her supporters and didn't appear to notice the gun pointed at her face until Montiel pulled the trigger and she ducked. The crowd burst into chaos before the gunman was subdued by the authorities. 

The suspect, who reportedly posed as a churchgoing Christian online, has a previous criminal record for carrying weapons and has a large black sun tattoo on his elbow -- a symbol originally used by Nazi Germany that was later adopted by neo-Nazis. 

It's worth noting that Fernández de Kirchner served as president from 2007 to 2015 and was previously the first lady to her president husband Nestor from 2003 to 2007. She is currently facing a corruption trial and was returning home from court when the incident took place. The corruption scandal has sparked outrage across the nation and her home has been mobbed by protesters as well as supporters in recent days after she was accused of defrauding the state. Last week, she ordered demonstrators to be dispersed after her property was reportedly "besieged."

Following Montiel's arrest, Security Minister Aníbal Fernández said in a statement, "A person who was identified by those who were close to him who had a gun was detained by security personnel. They set him aside, found the weapon, and now it must be analyzed."

President Alberto Fernández also addressed the situation last night. "Dear Argentine people, shortly after 9pm, a man made an attempt on the life of the vice president of the nation," he said in a statement. "It is a very serious incident. It is the most serious that has happened since the recovery of democracy. In front of a massive presence of people, a man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger. Cristina remains alive because, for some reason, the weapon that had five bullets did not fire despite having been triggered."

The president added, "Such a reality affects the Argentine people and in particular those of us who are her colleagues, who embrace her in solidarity with all our love. This attack deserves the strongest repudiation from all political sectors, from all the men and women who make up the republic. This incident affects our democracy."

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Montiel has appeared on Argentine TV. During a recent appearance on the local channel Cronica, he criticized the Argentine government and Economy Minister Sergio Massa. Taking to social media, he recounted the appearance and wrote "neither Milei nor Cristina," apparently referring to National Deputy Javier Milei and Vice President Fernandez de Kirchner.

Montiel moved to Argentina from Uruguay in 2018 and was apparently living in Buenos Aires at the time of the attempted assassination. He is the son of an Argentinian mother who died five years ago and a Chilean father who is said to have been deported from Brazil. Authorities are reportedly investigating Montiel's links to far-right groups amid reports he followed radical organizations on his now-deleted social media.

The gunman was reportedly arrested in March last year after being found in possession of a knife. The 14-inch weapon apparently fell out of his Chevrolet Prisma when he was stopped by police because one of his number plates was missing. At the time, he told the authorities he had it for self-defense but was detained nonetheless. However, the case was shelved sometime later and didn't result in a criminal conviction, the Daily Mail reported.