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Police investigated in case of dead Argentine prosecutor

Posted January 22, 2015 10:00 pm

By ALUMUDENA CALATRAVA

Policemen stand guard next to a sign that reads in Spanish; "Thanks Nisman. Justice. I am Nisman," outside the prosecutor's office investigating the death of Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor found dead in his apartment, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. The death of the prosecutor who had accused Argentinaâs President Cristina Fernandez of a criminal conspiracy came under mounting questions Wednesday with the discovery that the apartment where he was found dead had not been securely locked and had a third entrance. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) The Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The 10 police officers assigned to protect a federal prosecutor who accused President Cristina Fernandez of shielding Iranians sought in an Argentine terrorist bombing are being investigated for their actions on the day the prosecutor was found shot to death.

The officers, along with two supervisors, are being looked at as part of an internal police investigation into the handling of Alberto Nisman's death, a person close to the investigation told The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity.

The officers are not considered suspects, said the person, who was not authorized to comment publicly.

In particular, he said, investigators are looking into the time it took two officers assigned to the door of Nisman's building to advise their superiors that they had not been able to reach him by telephone.

Earlier this week, those two officers made declarations to lead investigator Viviana Fein, who would ultimately decide whether to try them for anything. All 10 have been suspended during the investigation, the person close to the case said.

The 51-year-old prosecutor was found Sunday night slumped in the bathroom of his apartment with a bullet wound in his head.

His death came days after Nisman gave a judge a report alleging Fernandez secretly reached a deal to prevent prosecution of former Iranian officials accused of involvement in the 1994 bombing of Argentina's largest Jewish center, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association. The attack killed 85 people and injured more than 200.

Also on Friday, justice officials said they have been unable to locate the man who loaned Nisman the gun used in his death despite "repeated attempts," and were ordering that he be barred from leaving the country without first getting permission from Argentine authorities.

Diego Lagomarsino, who spoke to authorities soon after Nisman's death, said he had given a .22-caliber pistol to Nisman because the prosecutor wanted it for protection. Lagomarsino has not been named as a suspect.

Fernandez, who has dismissed Nisman's allegations of a cover-up in the bombing, published two letters on social media this week about the prosecutor's death - the first saying it appeared he had killed himself, then a second saying she was now convinced it wasn't a suicide.

Nisman's allegations, she said, were based on false information given to him by the former head of the intelligence services. In her second letter, published Thursday, she portrayed Nisman's death as a way to damage her administration.

American authorities are aware of the case but won't comment while an investigation is in progress, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington on Friday.

"The United States and the international community continue to work with the Argentine government, as well as victims of the AMIA bombing and their families, to seek justice," Psaki said.

Viviana Fein, who leads the investigation of prosecutor Alberto Nisman's death, speaks with reporters outside her office, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. The death of the prosecutor who had accused Argentinaâs President Cristina Fernandez of a criminal conspiracy came under mounting questions Wednesday with the discovery that the apartment where he was found dead had not been securely locked and had a third entrance. Fernandez who initially believed the prosecutor had taken his own life, said Thursday that she is now âconvincedâ Nisman did not commit suicide. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) The Associated Press

A man holds a sign that reads in Spanish; 'Justice' outside the AMIA Jewish community center, where a group gathered asking for "Justice" in the death of a prosecutor who had accused Argentinaâs president of a criminal conspiracy, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. Special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who had been investigating the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center that killed 85 people and who accused President Cristina Fernandez of shielding Iranian suspects, was found dead from a gunshot to the head, in his apartment late Sunday, hours before he was to testify in a Congressional hearing about the case. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) The Associated Press

People gather outside the AMIA Jewish community center asking for "Justice" in the death of a prosecutor who had accused Argentinaâs president of a criminal conspiracy, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. Special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who had been investigating the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center that killed 85 people and who accused President Cristina Fernandez of shielding Iranian suspects, was found dead from a gunshot to the head, in his apartment late Sunday, hours before he was to testify in a Congressional hearing about the case. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) The Associated Press

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