NICOLAS SARKOZY ASSASSINATION SCARE: MYSTERY OVER SUICIDE POLICEMAN
[Links for earlier articles about this below - HR]
By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem
Telegraph News (UK) 26/06/2008 - The policeman who shot himself as French president Nicolas Sarkozy left Tel Aviv airport on Tuesday has been named as Raeed Ghanem, a 32-year-old member of Israel's Druze minority.
But while police sources said they were confident he committed suicide, there was no explanation of why he might have taken his life. Suicide is stigmatised by the Druze and his family insisted it was an accident.
''PROMPTING ARMY SNIPERS TO TAKE HIM OUT''
The mystery stirred interest among Hebrew bloggers who came up with conspiracy theories including one suggestion that he was looking down the telescopic sight on his rifle at the VIP party prompting army snipers to take him out.
Members of his family in the village of Beit Jan in northern Israel said he had been married for eight years with two children and owned his own house. "We scornfully reject the claims that our son took his own life," a family member said. "He was a kindhearted and happy person. "He had a family and there was no reason for him to do such a horrible thing."
NO REASON TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE
His brother, Nayef, said he did not believe in the suicide theory. "He had no reason to take his own life," he said. "It may have been an accident or he was unwittingly killed by another Israeli guard. His father Assad said his son was in good spirits when he left home to join his unit on Tuesday. "He had a family, a house, friends and plans for the future, he had no reason to commit suicide," he said.
Israel's Channel 2 television channel reported last night the preliminary results of the police investigation into the shooting. Burn marks were found on one of Ghanem's hands and traces of explosives on the other, which is consistent with him having held the muzzle of the gun next to his head and pulled the trigger with his other hand.
His family hired a lawyer to ensure there is a "complete and detailed" investigation and to gain access to security video footage from the airport. The Druze are a sect loosely connected with Islam who made their homes in the mountains of the Holy Land. Today they are found in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Unlike Israeli Arabs, they are a minority which is allowed by Israel to take full part in the country's security apparatus, including the army and police force.
EXCELLED IN EVERYTHING
As a relatively poor community many of the community's young men opt for a life in the Israeli security forces. Ghanem's cousin, Mouin, said that the officer was born and raised in Beit Jan. "He excelled in everything, starting at school, through his military service in the Givati Brigade, and later continued to serve the State when he joined the Border Guard."
His mother Hanna was killed in an accident several years ago. He was survived by his father, wife, two children, three brothers and five sisters.
The sound of the gunshot as President Sarkozy and his wife Carla prepared to leave Israel caused momentary chaos as the area was swamped by armed security guards.
[andend] - Story from Telegraph News (UK) - TinyUrl.: http://tinyurl.com/5oadx8
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Foreign Press Foundation - Related links:
* ISRAELI GUARD TRIES TO KILL SARKOZY AT AIRPORT - Tuesday June 24, 2008 - This is what it's all about: TinyUrl.: http://tinyurl.com/56rtk5
* THE FEAR OF FÜHRERS LIKE SARKOZY - TinyUrl.: http://tinyurl.com/5rkka6
* GOOGLE SEARCH SARKOZY +ASSASSINATION? - TinyUrl.: http://tinyurl.com/6ovp33
* STORY ABOVE ALSO PUBLISHED AT APFN SITE - TinyUrl.: http://tinyurl.com/5fp9u8
* WHY U.S. AMERICANS (AND MANY IN OTHER COUNTRIES) WILL BELIEVE ALMOST ANYTHING THEIR 'GOVERNMENT' AND PROPAGANDA MEDIA TELL THEM - Url.: http://www.rense.com/general78
* THE GLOBAL ELITE: WHO ARE THEY? - Url.: http://tinyurl.com/2y5854
* AMERICA ( + THE EUROPEAN UNION, AFRICA, LATIN AMERICA, JAPAN ETC. ETC.) PLUNDERED BY THE GLOBAL ELITE - Url.: http://tinyurl.com/2gfynw
IT'S DANGEROUS TO BE RIGHT, WHEN YOUR GOVERNMENT IS WRONG - VOLTAIRE
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