Would-be Chirac assassin released from prison

Published: 11:43AM Sunday August 23, 2009

Source: Reuters

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Would-be Chirac assassin released from prison

A French far right extremist who tried to shoot former President Jacques Chirac during a Bastille Day parade in 2002 was released from prison earlier this month, the daily France Soir reported on Saturday.

Maxime Brunerie fired a sports rifle as Chirac passed him at the start of the traditional Bastille Day parade on July 14, 2002 on Paris's main thoroughfare, the Champs Elysees. He said he wanted to "leave his name in history".

Brunerie was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was released on August 3 after serving three quarters of his sentence, the newspaper said, quoting his lawyer Sebastien Tesler, who said he wished to "turn the page" on his action.

"He has completely absorbed the lessons of his period of imprisonment and the actions he was charged with, despite the seven long years in prison," Tesler told the newspaper.