The family of Raid Asaad Raid Ghanan, an Israeli guard who was shot in the head during the farewell ceremony for President Nicolas Sarkozy at Tel Aviv airport, refuted claims today that he committed suicide.

Mr Ghanan, 32, of the northern Druze village of Beit Jan, could not have killed himself said a family member to the local press.

"We scornfully reject the claims that our son took his own life. He was a kindhearted and happy person. He had a family and there was no reason for him to do such a horrible thing." The officer's father, Asaad Ghanan, said he had last seen his son in good spirits. "He had a family, he had friends, he had plans for the future and had no reason to commit suicide."

It took police representatives several hours to reach the family, who live in a remote village in Israel's north. Naif Ghanan, the officer's brother, said that officials who came to inform the family of the death said that the circumstances of the incident were still being investigated.

"It is unthinkable that my brother took his own life. We believe this was an accident, or even an incident in which my brother was accidentally shot by one of the security officials in the area."

Mr Ghanan's mother, Hanna, was killed in an accident several years ago. He was survived by his father, wife, two children, three brothers and five sisters.

New details emerged of the extraordinary incident, which sent the French President, Israeli Prime Minister, and Israeli President, scrambling for cover during the farewell ceremony for the French delegation yesterday at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.

Mr Ghanan was securing the outer perimeter of the area, positioned on a roof approximately 200 meters away from the VIP delegation. Police officials said that the initial investigation revealed that he shot himself, and then fell from the roof to the ground below.

Mickey Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said that it was in no way an assassination attempt.