Buenos Aires, February 13 (NA) – A man was arrested as the first of the protesters identified for causing damage and making Molotov cocktails during the serious incidents that occurred last Wednesday in the vicinity of the Argentine National Congress, as part of the march against the labor reform project. The man is 31 years old and has a criminal record; he was captured by the City Police while sleeping in an ATM in the Belgrano neighborhood, in the City of Buenos Aires. The list of identified individuals, released by Minister Alejandra Monteoliva, includes several people who, according to authorities, participated in the manufacture and launch of homemade incendiary devices and in direct confrontation with officials. In this context, the government filed a criminal complaint against those responsible for the incidents, based on the classification of the facts as an attack on the constitutional order and democratic life, serious injuries, damages, and resistance to authority, aggravated by the use of homemade explosives and the intention to generate fear in society. Images that circulated during and after the protest show how groups of protesters improvised bottles with fuel and flammable materials, which were then thrown at the security forces guarding the Congress, generating foci of fire and scenes of violence in the adjoining streets. The operation and investigations continue, and authorities expect to proceed with new arrests as more evidence is gathered and other individuals involved in the violent acts are identified.
