Family of the Druze guard refute claims that he killed himself
The death of an Israeli Druze guard who was shot in the head during a farewell ceremony for President Sarkozy of France continued to provoke debate yesterday as the family disputed claims that he committed suicide.
Raed Ghanan’s death created a security scare at the airport where Mr Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, were saying their farewells to the Israeli Prime Minister and President. Officials at the French Embassy said they were sorry that the incident had overshadowed an otherwise productive visit by Mr Sarkozy.
Mr Ghanan was guarding the outer perimeter of the area, positioned on a roof about 200 metres from the VIP delegation. Police said that an initial investigation revealed that he shot himself, and then fell off the roof.
A band was playing when the shot was fired, preventing the French and Israeli leaders from hearing the discharge. Bodyguards ushered Mr Sarkozy up the stairs to his plane and Ehud Olmert to a bullet-proof vehicle.
Police said that Mr Ghanan, 32, was from the northern Israeli town of Beit Dajan and was a member of the Druze community, a minority group whose religion includes an eclectic mix of beliefs rooted initially in Islam.
Naif Ghanan, Raed’s brother, said that police who informed the family of the death told them that the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated. “It is unthinkable that my brother took his own life. We believe this was an accident – or even an incident in which my brother was accidentally shot by one of the security officials in the area,” he said.
The family said that it had hired a lawyer to ensure there was a “complete and detailed” investigation and to gain access to security video footage from the airport.
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