French police hint at suicide as Dahan search continues

By YAAKOV KATZ
Defense Ministry officials in conjunction with French authorities continued Tuesday to search for David Dahan, head of the Israeli defense delegation to France, after he went missing over the weekend. Dahan left behind notes that indicated he was considering suicide, police sources in France said. Officials said that Dahan appeared to be going through "personal and emotional crises" although all leads were being investigated. Dahan left his cellular phone at home and deactivated the tracking device in his car. Security officers from the Defense Ministry's security agency - directed by Yehiel Horev - were involved in the investigation, officials said. Dahan's wife and son flew to Paris to assist in the search. Dahan was appointed the temporary head of the ministry's European mission after Eli Finko was recalled to Tel Aviv to head up a new defense export supervision committee. The official task of the mission is to purchase military equipment around Europe and facilitate Israeli sales to countries in the region.