French President Sarkozy, Wife Carla Bruni Run Into Plane After Israeli Officer Shoots Himself (VIDEO)

An Israeli police officer fatally shot himself Tuesday at an airport departure ceremony for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, sparking fear of an assassination attempt and prompting bodyguards to whisk away Sarkozy and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, officials said.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said there had been no assassination attempt on the French leader.

Watch video below from the scene and click here for updates:

Another police official said the shooting was a suicide, while a third said it may have been accidental.

Dark-suited men quickly ushered Sarkozy and his wife up the stairs of their plane. At the same time, security guards with guns drawn rushed Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres toward their cars.

Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs ahead of her husband.

The shooting occurred while a military band was playing, and the leaders apparently didn't hear anything.

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The incident was over within minutes, and Olmert boarded the plane to inform Sarkozy what had transpired, witnesses said.

Police spokesman Shlomi Sagi confirmed that a policeman guarding the airport committed suicide just as Sarkozy was about to board his plane.

Officials said he shot himself in the head.

The area police commander, Nissim Mor, said police were looking into the incident.

"We are currently investigating the circumstances to see whether it was suicide or if he accidentally discharged his weapon," he said. "His mission was to secure an area to prevent people from reaching the ceremony."

Sarkozy's three-day trip to Israel was meant to improve relations between the two countries.

French presidential spokesman Franck Louvrier could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone. Another presidential spokesman who was on a separate scheduled flight out of Tel Aviv said he knew nothing about the incident.

Comments

[falco]

What the heck is wrong with this mind control freak? The programming went haywire - your supposed to kill your target BEFORE committing suicide.

[dzent1]

Man, I know how that poor Israeli must have felt - "If I have to listen to ONE MORE politician blather on..."

Well, you get the drift.

[maggienow]

They came to the conclusion that it was suicide very fast, a bit too fast. Perhaps he was shot trying to shoot one of the leaders but to avoid an international incident Israel police gave this story to the media. I would think that they would have waited for an investigation to be completed before they came to any conclusions. It just doesn't feel right that a policeman would shoot himself surrounded by his fellow officers.

[wmbear]

I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT...

The official explanation smells to high heaven....

[1099]

Everything is a big conspiracy right? I'm sure you with your vast knowledge and experience in these matters know exactly what happened. Why don't you rent JFK again and rewrite history how you'd like it to have happened.

[VitriolAndAngst]

Bad example. The OFFICIAL conclusion of the senate investigation was that there was a conspiracy. Or did JFK somehow steal his own brain?

There was an attempt on JFK's life 3 days before in Florida and before that as well. These documents were released under the freedom of information act and were quickly put back as secret by the Bush administration -- but not before the Internet got to them.

The best guess right now is that the government covered it up because they were afraid the Cuban Mafia did it and it would lead to a war. That doesn't mean there wasn't another conspiracy to make it look like the mob... but there you go. A great example of WHY people should question events.

But the ignorance of everyone who have a TV-based knowledge of history is astounding -- I don't blame you. You never had the facts at all -- and you use this assassination as an example of why people are silly who have conspiracy theories? You make the point of how herd-like the average American is. How about researching just a tiny bit of the OFFICIAL FACTS.

[FZliveson]

If you follow the path of the USA, immediately after the U2 incident, during Eisenhower's presidency, you may find some credence in what Jack Ruby pleaded to Gerald Ford and Earl Warren....­"You've got to get me to Washington (to testify on the JFK assassination) because there is a whole new form of government coming and if you don't get me there...th­e truth will die with me.... I'm not safe here." Well, take a look at what happened..­.Eisenhowe­r's Summit Conference was sabotaged by the U2 and JFK, MLK and RFK were assassinated. There is a clear transition in the wake of Eisenhower's farewell address statement warning; "Beware of undue influence from the military industrial complex." People who read history and report similarities are NOT kooks, not buffs, not airheads. Those who support the Warren Commission are the foil hats brigade.

[Dani77]

If he was going to kill himself, I doubt there's any point in figuring out what "feels right" or not about this situation. Killing oneself is already extreme to begin with. Maybe it was to make a public statement of some sort, because the setting would certainly insure a lot of attention. Who knows.

[kooshy]

This guy couldn’t find a better place and time to shoot himself and commit suicide but in front of foreign dignitaries and head of states in the middle of Tel Aviv airport while president of France and his wife are departing, wow this sounds like Israelis are trying to make new martial for ever missing late George Carlin or maybe Mr. Olmert is thinking if he finally is pushed off of his current job to do the George’s specials on HBO. With this kind of martial he will be sell out .

[UnknownSoldier]

Oh man, before we get in too deep we should ask who wanted Sarkozy dead, and why would they choose Israel of all places to kill him. How did they get an Israeli soldier to pull off the assination attempt.

I want to believe that there is something nefarious going on, but I need facts.

[PAposter]

I'm with "Madrid" who posted below, a suicide does not make sense.

[michelv]

Why not? Perfect setting for a depressed and lonely person to get some attention.

It could have also been fratricide: a fellow cop shooting him for sleeping with his wife, for tormenting him on the job, or who knows.

[mmmd]

Whenever I read a tell-all book I am struck by the fact that spin is continuously put on news and people are paid good money to act as spin masters. All politicians use spinners, have them on their team. We, the sheep, oops typo, people are not supposed to have true facts. Remember "A Few Good Men'? We can't handle the truth. So the smart ones among us try to figure things out, gleaning little nuggets of facts here and there and adding it all up. The lazy ones go along with the official story. Much easier, y'know.

[VitriolAndAngst]

Sure, that is plausible.

But a much more plausible reason is that we have two, powerful politicians at the same airport.

I'd say that it is 10 times more likely this has something to do with preventing an invasion of Iran.

A crime of passion usually involves passion, and not someplace where people with sniper rifles can take you out before you raise your arm. I think if you even wanted to commit suicide, you would be shot before you could accomplish that act.

[MicahD]

wow. this is one of those stories that I really wonder about. is it merely what we see on the surface or was there more to this. who exactly was this person that killed himself? what were his connections? or was he just making a political statement or simply an unhappy human?

[darthdarcy]

Maybe he was motivated in an attempt to try and prevent the attack upon Iran which many know may ignite Armageddon or a serious regional conflagration at the very least..an attempt upon Olmert's life is most likely I agree Madrid..

[VitriolAndAngst]

That is my theory as well.

[MPeter]

Wow. Your comment are quite insightful. There may be something more to the event than we are being led to believe.

[coldcanuckinwhite]

Very, very strange indeed. Seems like you're not safe anywhere anymore.

[UltraClassic]

Truth is stranger than fiction, this will be interesting.

[Barky]

BS. Might as well say that Harvey Oswald was the lone perpertrator of the JFK assassination.

[Knowbetter]

Oswald killed Kennedy.

[dortmunder]

Yes and Santa Claus is sleeping with the Easter Bunny.

[robXdion]

You should "know better".

[Krackonis]

In a paranoid dream maybe. Oswald was an FBI informant working with Hoover to stop locate the remaining 'terrorists' for the CIA training camps near Cuba. He's the patsy shot by Nixon's former campaign manager Jack Ruby (Jacob Rubenstein). Nixon was 'found' in the 1930's by Prescott Bush and GHWB was recruited to the CIA in the 50's.(as we know Nixon put GHWB in as head of the CIA in the 70's) This should give you a basic understanding of the situations surrounding Oswald. Enough at least to question.

So, Oswald was an American hero. I hope one day he is remembered as such.

[miquelon]

I guess Jay Leno's comics are working furiously on some anti-French jab, something along the lines of the French President running away, fleeing, being cowardly. No occasion is too petty to bash the French - Right Jay ?

[andyboy]

Oui miquelon. C'est vrai......­...

[MKJeeves]

"Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, rushed up the stairs ahead of her husband."
So?

[Jason357]

How dumb do they think we are? Don't answer that!!

That's what I've been saying all along. When only soldiers and police have guns, who's going to protect us against them?