/ 23 January 2007

Israel defence official missing in Paris, say police

The head of the Israeli Defence Ministry Mission to Europe has disappeared from his Paris house, leaving behind notes that indicate he might have been considering suicide, a police source said on Tuesday.

The man, named as David Dahan, has not been seen since the weekend, the source said. His car was missing but his cellphone was still at his home.

”The possibility of suicide has not been ruled out given the psychological state of the person in recent times and notes he left behind,” the source said, declining to be named.

Another source said Dahan had asked for ”forgiveness” in a letter, adding that he had suffered depression in the past. He gave no further details.

Dahan lived in Paris while his wife and child lived in Israel.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined comment. The Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv said it would issue any new information on the case after it is received by Dahan’s family.

The official task of the Israeli Defence Ministry Mission is the purchase of military equipment around Europe. The mission used to be based in central Paris and was hit by a car bomb in 1982. It is now based in a Paris suburb. — Reuters