Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was threatened late Thursday by a man with a gun in what a government colleague described as an assassination attempt, but she was unharmed and no shots were fired.

The incident took place at the entrance to her home in Buenos Aires, where hundreds of protesters have gathered in recent days to support the ex-president amid a corruption trial.

Economics Minister Sergio Massa called the incident “an assassination attempt.”

“When hate and violence take over debate, societies collapse and situations like this arise: attempted murder,” he tweeted.

A police spokesman told Reuters that an armed man was detained near the house, and “a weapon was found a few meters from the scene.” He said the man might be of Brazilian descent.

Television footage showed that after the man pointed a gun at Kirchner in the middle of the crowd, no shots were fired. The media say that the man looks middle-aged.

The Clarin newspaper, citing official sources, reported that the gun was loaded.

Government and opposition leaders, as well as politicians from other Latin American countries, expressed their solidarity with Ms Kirchner, who was a divisive political figure who served two terms as president between 2007 and 2015.

Her successor, Mauricio Macri, said the incident required “immediate and deep clarification from the judiciary and security forces.”

“Christina is the victim of a criminal fascist who can’t respect differences,” added Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the frontrunner in next month’s presidential election. “Thank God he got away unscathed.”

However, some politicians downplay the seriousness of the incident: “It seems to be a clumsy act of an unbalanced person who has nothing to do with politics,” MP Martin Tetas said.

Incumbent President Alberto Fernandez delivered a televised address to the country later on Thursday, saying the technicality had saved Ms Kirchner’s life and that Friday had been declared a national emergency so people could show their support for Argentina’s vice president.

Source: Reuters, CNN.