Nisman, a special prosecutor who was investigating a deadly 1994 terror attack, filed a report alleging that the country’s President, foreign minister and other political leaders were conspiring to cover up Iran’s role in the attack. The government was giving the named Iranian suspects a pass in exchange for a favorable trade deal between the two nations, Nisman alleged.
A few days after Nisman filed his report in court, and just one day before he was supposed to testify about his allegations before lawmakers, he was found dead in his apartment.
There were initial reports of suicide, but many had their doubts from the get-go. Sure enough, suspicions appeared to be confirmed when no gunpowder residue was found on Nisman’s hands, which would have been expected if he had shot himself.
Since then, a number of strange things have happened in Argentina, all seemingly related to Nisman’s death.
Here’s a look the people, events and places that form part of a web that continues to unspool:
Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, or AMIA
The Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, or AMIA, was the target of the July 18, 1994, terror attack that killed 85 and injured hundreds in Buenos Aires. The attack on the Jewish community center is the worst terror attack in Argentina’s history.
A suicide attacker drove an explosive-laden vehicle into the building. Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America.
Alberto Nisman
He was the prosecutor who accused Argentina’s President and other top leaders of covering up Iran’s alleged role in the AMIA bombing. Nisman was found dead after filing a report with his allegations in court, and one day before he was slated to testify on his accusations in front of Congress.
His death remains a mystery. A gun and shell casing by his side made it look like a suicide, but an initial test found no gunpowder residue on his hands.
Almost immediately, suspicions arose that Nisman’s death was linked to his allegations against the President, foreign minister and other political elites. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner called it a suicide — and quickly changed her mind.
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The ex-spy chief is a key witness who has not spoken with lead investigator Fein. He appears to have disappeared.
Fernandez moved to relieve Stiuso of his obligation to keep secrets, so that he can testify.
Stiuso was slated to testify during the first week of February but couldn’t be found. Fein has since said she is confident that he will testify soon.
Damian Pachter
Damian Pachter is a journalist for the English-language Buenos Aires Herald.
A dual citizen of Argentina and Israel, he first broke the news of Nisman’s death, reporting it via Twitter.
After the scoop, Pachter dropped off the radar, with some saying that he fled Argentina fearing for his safety.
In a strange response, the Argentine government published a copy of Pachter’s travel records, saying they showed he simply went to Uruguay and had purchased a return ticket.
But Pachter didn’t return. He announced on Twitter a few days later that he was in Israel, in exile.
When a trusted source provides an unexpected scoop http://t.co/tyi9R8rKap by @BAHeraldcom's @damianpachter on how he broke the #Nisman story
Sergio Berni
Sergio Berni is Argentina’s security secretary. His tie-in to this mystery? It was widely reported in local media that he arrived at Nisman’s apartment, with Nisman’s mother, before investigators arrived. He was also the first publicly to call Nisman’s death a suicide. Not surprisingly, questions have swirled about what a government minister was doing at the scene before the investigators, and why he announced the suicide theory so quickly.
