Assassination scare as Sarkozy leaves Israel

AN ISRAELI police officer fatally shot himself yesterday 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.

Dark-suited men at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport 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. In a panic, Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy rushed up the stairs ahead of her husband.