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Argentine President seeks to dissolve spy agency
A woman walks behind a poster that reads "AMIA (Jewish community center). Nisman's death. Disolve the SIDE (Secretary of Intelligence)" in Buenos Aires, January 26, 2015. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci
26/01/2015
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez on Monday announced plans to dissolve the country's intelligence agency amid suspicions rogue agents were behind the murky death of a state prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center.
The death of Alberto Nisman this month, just before he was due to answer questions about his allegation that Fernandez conspired to derail his investigation, shone a spotlight on the powerful state spy apparatus which some analysts say operates with too much autonomy.
The government said Nisman's allegations and demise were linked to a power struggle at the intelligence agency and agents who had recently been fired.
Fernandez said a draft bill "will be sent to Congress before my trip to China this weekend."
Fernandez, who spoke from a wheel chair dressed all in white, has come under fire from political opponents and Argentines in cities across the country for her handling of the fallout from Nisman's death.
Thousands took to the streets last week to protest the slow pace of justice for the victims of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA center that killed 85 people and demanding answers to the questions around Nisman's death.
(Reporting by Richard Lough and Jorge Otaola; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman)
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