Argentine security officials arrest man with gun at presidential palace

Argentine security officials at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace and seat of national government, arrested a man carrying a gun on Monday who claimed to have a meeting with President Mauricio Macri, his office said in a statement. Security personnel said Francisco Ariel Muniz, 36, had tried to enter the building with a .44 Magnum Taurus revolver inside his briefcase and told officials he was there for an appointment with center-right leader Macri.

After officials confirmed that no such meeting was scheduled, he tried to leave the briefcase behind. The statement said Muniz was detained by security personnel, but did not give any further details. Macri, who came into office in 2015, will seek re-election in October in what is likely to be a closely fought battle. He has been falling in opinion polls amid high inflation and a tumbling peso that has hurt voters in the recession-hit nation.

An attack outside Argentina's Congress last week led to the deaths of a senior lawmaker and an aide, though local officials and media have indicated the motive behind the "mafia-style" shooting was personal rather than political. (Reporting by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Jonathan Oatis)