Sarkozy 'assassination attempt' foiled

PanARMENIAN.Net - A man wielding a hand-held electric self-defense weapon was arrested Monday while trying to enter the grounds of the French presidential palace, a police official said.



A photographer witnessed guards wrestling the man to the ground at the main entrance to the Elysee Palace, where President Nicolas Sarkozy works.



The man was armed with a self-defense "shocker" less powerful than a taser, the police official said - not a knife, as first believed. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the arrest and asked not to be identified by name.



The 25-year-old man was being held at a police station of Paris' 8th district where the Palace is located, the official said. The suspect's motive was not immediately clear.



Sarkozy was meeting with Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro at the time of the arrest around 12:40 p.m. (11:40 GMT). Djukanovic met with the French leader as part of his country's efforts to join the European Union. France currently holds the bloc's rotating presidency, The Associated Press reports.