5:08PM IL: An IDF soldier was killed a short time ago when his weapon accidentally discharged at Ben-Gurion International Airport during a ceremony for departing French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife.
The sound of gunfire caused a stir with senior state officials present, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres.
According to yet unconfirmed reports, the discharge of the soldier’s weapon was a suicide. An investigation is underway.
When the shot was fired, ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) agents immediately moved to emergency procedures, removing the prime minister and the two presidents from potential danger.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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HAARETZ.COM STATES THAT IT WAS AN INTENTIONAL SUICIDE.
CNN says the same thing.
ABC FRENCH SOLDIER SUICIDE
Neither article rules out the possibility of the other alternative, they are just taking a different slant on the story. However, unless the soldier was carelessly scratching his head with his gun; accidentally setting it off, I lean more towards thinking it was a deliberate act. On the other hand, dan lekaf zchus-wise, it’s better to presume it was accidental, at this time.
May HaShem comfort his mourners among all the mourners of Israel.
As a rule, soldiers are forbidden to keep a bullet in the chamber unless there’s a particularly dangerous mission (like when we were patroling in Lebanon). There’s no way that the soldier’s commanding officer didn’t check each and every soldier’s weapon before the ceremonies, because with a visiting head of state and your own head of state there, you don’t want mess-ups.
He had to have cocked his gun AFTER the inspection- probably once he was at his post.
There’s almost no way it could have been unintentional/accidental.
DEEPTHINKER
all suicides are intentional.if it’s an accident it isn’t suicide
SARKOZY IS BAD! OLMERT IS BAD! I guess the guy who commited suicide just couldn’t handle being next to the two loonies.
Michael Savage is saying that this was an assassination attempt that is being covered up.
It makes sense to me because the suicide makes no sense on a number of grounds. The only question is who was the target of the assassination.
In fact, Michael Savage Show said the deceased was not Jewish at all, but a Druz, which is an offshoot of Islam. Savage read a letter from the family of the deceased stating he would never committ suicide. Further, the alleged two witnesses have not been interviewed. It seems this is a story where there is more than meets the eye, as Savage has an almost prophetic talent for sniffing out.
Loaded gun, Olmert is there, Guy shoots himself. What a waste of a good bullet.