Argentina judge seeks arrest of ex-leader Fernández
A judge in Argentina says he is seeking the arrest of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner over accusations she took part in a political cover-up.
Ms Fernández, who governed for eight years from December 2007, is now a senator and as such enjoys parliamentary immunity.
For her to be arrested, the Senate would have to lift that immunity with a two-thirds majority vote.
Senators said they would consider the judge's request once they received it.
'Criminal plan'
Federal judge Claudio Bonadio, who is seeking the arrest, alleges Ms Fernández was took part in "an orchestrated criminal plan" to cover up the alleged involvement of senior Iranian officials in a 1994 bomb attack against a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires.
She has always denied the allegations and has accused Judge Bonadio of pursuing a campaign of political persecution against her.
Judge Bonadio also ordered that Héctor Timerman, who was foreign minister under Ms Fernández, be placed under house arrest in connection with the same case.
Two more close allies of Ms Fernández were arrested on Thursday morning. They are Carlos Zannadi, a senior legal official in the Fernández administration, and political activist Luis D'Elía.
Argentina's deadliest terror attack
Judge Bonadio presides over a commission which is investigating the 1994 bombing of the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (known as Amia for its initials in Spanish), a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires.
Eighty-five people died in the bombing, which was Argentina's deadliest terror attack.
Judge Bonadio re-opened the case against Ms Fernández after it had been dismissed by another federal judge in February 2015.
The allegations of a cover-up in the highest echelons of government were originally made by special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, whose sudden death in January 2015 is still being investigated.
- What lies behind Alberto Nisman's death?
- Argentine president's case dismissed
What did Mr Nisman uncover?
- In 2006, Mr Nisman formally charged Iranian officials with directing the 1994 Amia attack
- He alleged the attack was carried out by Hezbollah militants
- In his 2015 report, he accused Ms Fernández and Mr Timerman of subsequently covering up Iran's purported role in the bombing
- He alleged that her government wanted to whitewash Iran in order to secure lucrative trade deals – exchanging Argentine grain for Iranian oil
- Ms Fernández dismissed the allegations as "absurd"
Mr Nisman was found dead in his apartment on 18 January 2015 with a bullet wound to the head and a pistol lying by his side.
He had been only hours away from testifying in Congress against Ms Fernandez and Mr Timerman.
No one has been convicted of the Amia bombing.
