Dead prosecutor wary of own security

Special prosecutor Alberto Nisman did not trust his own bodyguards and acquired a gun to protect his daughters, according to his long-time acquaintance, Diego Lagomarsino.

Nisman's suspicious death on January 18, hours before he was due to testify against senior government officials, sparked a crisis for the government of President Cristina Kirchner.

Nisman had accused Kirchner's government of helping to cover up Iran's alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center, in exchange for trade benefits.

Lagomarsino told a news conference in Buenos Aires that Nisman pleaded for the gun the day before he died. Nisman was found dead the next day in his apartment with the .22 caliber revolver beside him. Who pulled the trigger is not yet clear.

Lagomarsino, a computer expert and the last known person to see him alive, said Nisman told him he was desperate for the gun, saying "I no longer even trust my guards."

"He told me he was not going to use the weapon," Lagomarsino said, his voice breaking at times. He said Nisman feared for his own safety and that of his two daughters.

"Do you know what it is like that your daughters don't want to be with you because they are afraid something will happen to them," Lagomarsino quoted Nisman as saying.

A funeral for Nisman is planned for Thursday.

Following his death, Kirchner dissolved the country's intelligence service and announced plans to create a new agency. She says she is convinced Nisman's death was not suicide, but part of a plot to discredit her.

jr/gb (AP, AFP)