Key Points About the 'Scandal' of Alberto Nisman’s Death, Argentine Prosecutor

A month after the suspicious death of Alberto Nisman, the former prosecutor of Argentina, which has put the government of Cristina Kirchner, the country's president, on the brink of crisis, Buenos Aires is preparing for a large rally on this occasion. Alberto Nisman was the prosecutor in charge of the investigation into the 1994 bombing of the AMIA, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. He died a day before he was to present evidence and the results of his investigation to the country's parliament. Nisman was supposed to present the reasons for accusing the president and the foreign minister of covering up Iranian officials' involvement in this bombing to the representatives. AFP reports on the key points, background, and unanswered questions in the case of his death. The deadly bombing dates back to the 1994 attack on the Argentine Jewish community or AMIA. This was the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina's history, leaving 85 dead and over 300 injured. Two years prior, a bombing targeting the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires killed 29 and injured 200 others. More than 20 years later, this case remains open in the Argentine judiciary. Two Argentine presidents, Carlos Menem and Cristina Kirchner, have been accused of obstructing the judicial investigation. After lengthy investigations accompanied by a wave of controversy, several suspects, including a police officer and a man named Carlos Tjeldin, were arrested on charges of supplying explosives. After three years of trial, investigations concluded with the acquittal of all defendants in 2004. Judge Juan José Galeano, who oversaw the investigations from 1994 to 2003, was accused of bribing Carlos Tjeldin with $400,000 to frame one of the suspects. Carlos Menem, president of Argentina from 1989 to 1999, was accused of preventing justice. In 2006, Alberto Nisman, who was appointed to re-investigate the bombing case, accused Iran of ordering the attack through the Lebanese Hezbollah group. In 2007, the Argentine judiciary issued international arrest warrants for five Iranian officials, including then-President Hashemi Rafsanjani, as the masterminds of the attack. In 2013, Iran and Argentina signed an agreement to establish a commission of international experts to investigate the bombing and allow the Argentine prosecutor to interrogate suspects in Iran. This agreement sparked strong objections from the Argentine Jewish community. Who is Alberto Nisman? After the inconclusive trial in 2004, Néstor Kirchner, the then-president of Argentina, appointed Alberto Nisman as the special investigator for the bombing case. Alberto Nisman, a 53-year-old Jewish prosecutor who is divorced and has two children, has been involved in investigations related to the AMIA explosion since the 1990s. Following the publication of communications between Alberto Nisman and his office with staff at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires in classified documents revealed by WikiLeaks in 2010, critics accused Nisman of being too close to the U.S. The finger of blame pointed at Cristina Kirchner. On January 14, 2015, Alberto Nisman published the results of his investigation in a 300-page document. In this document, he accused Cristina Kirchner, Hector Timerman, the foreign minister, and another senior official of attempting to protect Iranians suspected of involvement in the bombing. This controversial accusation was based on information obtained from thousands of hours of wiretapped phone calls. Supporters of the president believe these accusations are part of a plot by disgruntled agents of the Argentine intelligence service who are angry about Kirchner's plan to restructure the intelligence agencies. The mystery of Alberto Nisman’s death remains unsolved since January 18, when his body was found in the bathroom of his apartment on the thirteenth floor with a .22 caliber gun beside him. Speculation about the suspicious nature of his death, which occurred four days after he accused the president and a day before he was to present evidence regarding this accusation to parliament, has intensified. Sara Garfunkel, Nisman’s mother who found his body, and his ex-wife have stated they do not believe he committed suicide. Investigations into this case are ongoing. In this context, Argentine prosecutors: Kirchner covered up Iran's role in the AMIA explosion. A journalist who exposed the murder of the AMIA case judge fled Argentina. Argentine prosecutor: Judge Nisman had prepared an arrest warrant for Kirchner. Kirchner has been officially accused of covering up Iran's role in the AMIA explosion.