Attacker spends night in psychiatric ward

A man who made a failed attempt to assassinate French president Jacques Chirac has spent the night in a secure psychiatric ward after claiming he wanted to "save France".

Maxime Brunerie was overpowered by members of the crowd after firing a sporting rifle during the Bastille Day parade in Paris.

Mr Chirac, who was about 150 metres away at the time, did not hear the shot and carried on waving to the crowd.

The 25-year-old far right extremist has been held in a ward at the police headquarters in the capital.

Officers appear to be viewing him as deranged rather than part of a serious plot because of his incoherent statements.

However he is reported to have admitted trying to kill Mr Chirac because he wanted to "save France".

Brunerie, who lived with his parents south of Paris, belonged to a neo-Nazi movement called Group Union Defence.

It is also believed he stood in last year's municipal elections for the extreme right National Republican Movement, an offshoot of Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front.

Mr Chirac has not commented on the attack but Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said that when the president was told about it, he replied: "Oh really?"

Police have defended themselves over criticism they allowed the extremist to smuggle the rifle into the crowd in a guitar case and take pot shots. At least 2,500 officers were on duty at the time.