A man in a crowd yanked French President Nicolas Sarkozy by the shoulder yesterday and nearly knocked him to the ground before being tackled by security officers and detained.

The incident occurred as the president shook hands with a crowd in the town of Brax in southern France. The man's identity and motives were unclear.


TV grabs shows a man grabbing French President Nicolas Sarkozy by the jacket as he was greeting people gathered behind a barrier yesterday


French police said the man was detained. 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.

Sarkozy started to lose his balance and fall, then recoiled. Security officers pulled the assailant to the ground. Sarkozy's office refused to comment.

Abusive past?
Up for reelections in 10 months, the French President has been involved in verbal altercations during his presidency, including one where he told a man, "P*** off, you loser!"