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CNN Live Sunday

Man Fires Rifle at French President

Aired July 14, 2002 - 17:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Paris police say an emotionally disturbed man fired a rifle just as French President Jacques Chirac passed by him today. Mr. Chirac was riding in a parade celebrating Bastille Day at the time of that shooting, unaware of any threat. Listen closely, and you can hear the crack of the shot.

The French president's jeep was about 130 to 160 feet away from that gunfire. The crowd along the parade route immediately shouted for police and officers tackled the man.

Christopher Dickey with "Newsweek" magazine is in Paris, and he joins us by telephone. Hi there, Christopher, how are you?

CHRISTOPHER DICKEY, NEWSWEEK: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, ordinarily, what is standard security procedure when you've got a president in a very crowded situation, just as the Bastille Day parade?

DICKEY: Well, the normal security procedure has lots and lots of police around in uniforms, and especially a lot of the C.R.S., the riot police. But there are also a lot of plainclothed policemen mingling with the crowd, and they seemed to have played a key role in subduing the gunman.

WHITFIELD: So, no eyewitness has seemed to raise any suspension about this individual beforehand, correct?

DICKEY: No, not at the time. He was carrying a guitar case, and then everybody was watching Chirac getting ready to move down the parade route. And at some point, without anybody particularly noticing, he pulled a .22 rifle out of his guitar case and took aim and tried to fire.

WHITFIELD: Now he, this suspect is being linked to a neo-Nazi group. Are there any individuals or groups that are most noted as wanting to target the president?

DICKEY: Well, you know, there was a very controversial election here earlier this year in which Jacques Chirac won by a huge majority over a very far right candidate. But there was a moment of great sort of political turmoil, and I think a lot of emotions were running high. So there may have been some extreme fringe elements of the far right who were people were thinking or vowing that they should do something about the results.

WHITFIELD: Are your sources saying whether it's believed this individual acted alone?

DICKEY: Oh, I think it's certain that he acted alone in the sense that I don't believe there was a conspiracy. It was certainly very badly done if it was a conspiracy. No, this was a guy who probably was inspired by the people around him and just decided to take the situation into his own hands.

WHITFIELD: And the president, obviously, is OK. No one was hurt in this, but at this juncture now, is the president being held at any particular secret site for his protection?

DICKEY: Oh, not at all. Far from had. In fact, he gave an interview to the three major networks here exactly an hour or so after he had been shot at. He didn't even know that he'd been shot at until the end of the parade, when somebody came up and informed him. And when he gave his interview, he didn't mention at all that he had been shot at.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, he seemed pretty oblivious to the sound as we rolled the tape when the gunshots were being fired.

DICKEY: Yeah, no, I think he didn't hear them at all. In fact, this is a time of year when a lot of people set off fireworks, especially little firecrackers on the streets. I'm sure that's what he thought what it was if indeed he heard it.

WHITFIELD: All right, Christopher Dickey of "Newsweek" magazine joining us on the phone from Paris, thank you very much.

DICKEY: Thank you very much.

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