Assailant grabs Sarkozy, nearly knocks him to the ground

Paris, July 01: A man in a crowd yanked French President Nicolas Sarkozy by the shoulder on Thursday and nearly knocked him to the ground before being tackled by security officers and detained.

The unusually aggressive incident occurred as the President shook hands with a crowd in Brax, south France. The man’s identity and his motive are unclear, said police who have detained him.

Images broadcast on French television showed Sarkozy reach over a metal barricade to greet onlookers, when an arm grabbed his suit roughly by the shoulder and pulled it toward the crowd.

A man grabbed Sarkozy’s arm and almost pulled the French president to the ground in the town of Brax as seen in the above pictures. (right) The man, who has not been identified and whose motive was unclear, under arrest

Sarkozy started to lose his balance and fall, then immediately recoiled and righted himself. Security officers pulled the assailant to the ground. The President then continued on his way.

–Agencies