The death of an Argentine prosecutor who accused the country’s most powerful of a criminal cover-up has put on display a labyrinth that could have hatched from a novelist’s imagination.
It involves an investigation into the deadliest terror attack in Argentina’s history, modern geopolitics, alleged betrayals, a puzzling death and a dose of paranoia.
If you are unfamiliar with the story: Last week, a special prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires filed a report alleging that the President, foreign minister and other officials conspired to cover up Iran’s involvement in the attack, which killed 85.
The prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, was invited to testify about his allegations before Congress on Monday. But on the eve of his testimony, Nisman was found dead inside his apartment. He died of a gunshot wound to the temple. A gun and a shell casing were found near his body. The apartment was locked from the inside.
At first glance, a suicide. But the untimely death raised suspicions immediately. A poll by the firm Ipsos of more than 400 Argentineans found that 70% of them believed that Nisman was murdered. Some 18% believed he took his own life, and 12% didn’t have an opinion.
President: Not a suicide
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who initially called Nisman’s death a suicide, reversed her thinking Thursday.
–
Nisman was on vacation in Europe with his teenage daughter when he suddenly cut short his trip and returned to Argentina, according to the cabinet chief.
“Things just get stranger,” he said, asking who called him back in a hurry.
“Why did he return? Why did he leave his daughter there, alone at an international airport?” the cabinet chief said.
It was previously reported in the local media that Nisman told a reporter at least twice that this investigation might cost him his life. He also allegedly got the handgun from a friend because he feared for his security, according to reports.
The cabinet chief proposed another wrinkle: “The closer we read (the report), the more we are convinced that Nisman didn’t even write that complaint. What is the reason behind filing this? What is the objective? This is what we must find out.”
The whole story is a tangled web that is hard to describe, but reflects an observation Argentine novelist Jorge Luis Borges once made: “Reality is not always probable, or likely.”
CNN’s Brian Todd and Dugald McConnell contributed to this report.
