Nisman’s body is carried out of his apartment by Coast Guard officers (photo: Claudio Fanchi/Telam/cf)
* This article has been updated to include the latest developments in the case.
** UPDATE: Autopsy results show that “there was no third party involvement” in Nisman’s death, according to a statement by prosecutor Viviana Fein.
Alberto Nisman, 51, the prosecutor investigating the AMIA case, was found dead in his Puerto Madero apartment last night.
Nisman was found by his mother on Sunday night. Unable to enter the 13th floor apartment, which was locked from the inside, she had to call a locksmith to get into the flat. The prosecutor’s body was in the bathroom. He had died of a gunshot, and a .22 calibre gun -allegedly belonging to an employee of the prosecutor’s office- was found next to the corpse. The apartment was tidy and there was nothing missing.
Viviana Fein, the prosecutor assigned to the case, confirmed that the death was caused by Nisman’s gun. She declined to offer any hypotheses regarding the death until the results of the autopsy are known later today. “I trust the Federal Police and the Coast Guard, we will work prudently and we’ll have some more details at around noon, because we still can’t confirm it was a suicide.”
A statement released by the Security Ministry after the body was found informed that Nisman had “ten Federal Police officers assigned for this personal custody”.
Last week, Nisman filed a lawsuit accusing President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other high-ranking officials of an alleged cover up to protect Iranian officials suspected of being involved in the AMIA attack, in exchange for economic benefits. He was scheduled to appear before Congress today to give details about the lawsuit.
The 300-page writ was presented to Federal Judge Ariel Lijo, who has decided to return from his holidays after finding out about Nisman’s death.
Today, the government requested María Servini de Cubría, the judge filling in for Lijo, the declassification of the phone conversations presented by Nisman as evidence in his lawsuit, as well as the names of the intelligence officers involved in them.
Foreign Affairs Minister Héctor Timerman, who was one of the officials accused by Nisman, said upon landing at JFK airport in New York that he “laments the death of a human being”. Secretary General for the Presidency, Aníbal Fernández, said he was “shocked” by the news, and considered that “there was nothing remotely normal” about Nisman’s death. He also added that all of the prosecutor’s findings on the AMIA case should be documented within the case’s files, so his death should not be an impediment to the investigation.
The Israeli government issued a statement lamenting the death of Nisman “under tragic circumstances” and called him “a brave attorney who fought endlessly for justice”. “The State of Israel is hopeful that the Argentine authorities will continue with Nisman’s activities and put all their effort in demanding justice to those responsible for the terrorist attacks in Argentina,” added the statement.
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