Armed Czech police fired at a suspect driving a large SUV as it attempted to ram German Chancellor Angela Merkel's motorcade.

Merkel was on a visit to Prague when the man tried to break through a security cordon forcing local police to act.

Officers fired at the SUV which stopped. While searching the vehicle, officers recovered handcuffs, tear gas and concrete cubes, according to local media.

A man attempted to attack the motorcade of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pictured here with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, right, as she made her way between Prague's airport and the nation's parliament building as part of her one-day working visit

Protesters were waiting yesterday outside the Czech parliament building to boo Merkel

Merkel, right, held talks with Sobotka, left, during the one-day working visit to Prague

The man was driving a black Mercedes SUV when he tried to attack.

Police spokesman Jozef Bocan said: '[The man] attempted to join the motorcade as it moved between Prague airport and Czech government headquarters.'

Bocan stressed that at no stage had Chancellor Merkel been in any danger.

He said: 'While attempting to join the motorcade, he tried to run down police securing the road. The suspect acted alone. He was not armed, but items found in the car could easily have been used as weapons, particularly some cement cubes.'

At the same time, protesters held highly offensive banners featuring the German chancellor

Merkel spoke with Czech officials about Britain's decision to leave the European Union

Bocan revealed officers had been forced to open fire to subdue the suspect who is now under arrest.

Merkel held talks Thursday with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and President Milos Zeman focused on the future of the European Union after Britain's June decision to leave the bloc.</s>Assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel foiled in Czech Republic the capital of Czech Republic, British media reported on Friday.

As per details, police have arrested an armed man in a black Mercedes, who allegedly tried to join Merkel’s motorcade in Prague.

British media said that Merkel was on her way to Prime Minister’s house in Prague, when a suspected black car entered in her convoy. Police stopped the car and arrested the armed man.

Police spokesperson said that the suspect did not stop his car despite warning. The suspect stopped the car when he was given shoot out warning. Police recovered a box of tear gas, handcuffs and baton form his possession.</s>An assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been foiled in Prague.

Czech police arrested a man after he attempted to drive his black Mercedes into the motorcade of visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Prague.

The police said the suspect was in custody and that Merkel was not in danger.

Local reports claim that officers found a baton, a canister of tear gas, cement blocks, and handcuffs in the man’s black 4x4 Mercedes.

The chancellor was in Prague to meet Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.

She was travelling from the airport to the city when the suspicious vehicle appeared on the outskirts of the city,

The Mercedes driver is reported to have refused to obey orders coming from police cars accompanying the German chancellor.

He is alleged to have carried on trying to enter the motorcade and cut off a police vehicle that was trying to stop him.

The driver reportedly only stopped and got out of the vehicle after police warned him that they were going to shoot.

Merkel is meeting 15 other heads of state this week to create a new agenda after Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

A series of demonstrations have greeted her in Prague, while demonstrators held posters saying “Merkel is killing Europe.”</s>Armed Czech police fired at a suspect driving a large SUV as it attempted to ram German Chancellor Angela Merkel's motorcade.

Merkel was on a visit to Prague when the man tried to break through a security cordon forcing local police to act.

Officers fired at the SUV which stopped. While searching the vehicle, officers recovered handcuffs, tear gas and concrete cubes, according to local media.

The man was driving a black Mercedes SUV when he tried to attack.

Police spokesman Jozef Bocan said: '[The man] attempted to join the motorcade as it moved between Prague airport and Czech government headquarters.'

Bocan stressed that at no stage had Chancellor Merkel been in any danger.

He said: 'While attempting to join the motorcade, he tried to run down police securing the road. The suspect acted alone. He was not armed, but items found in the car could easily have been used as weapons, particularly some cement cubes.'

Bocan revealed officers had been forced to open fire to subdue the suspect who is now under arrest.

Merkel held talks Thursday with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and President Milos Zeman focused on the future of the European Union after Britain's June decision to leave the bloc.

Several hundred protesters, including members of anti-Islam groups, rallied in central Prague against Merkel and her decision to open the EU's doors to refugees and migrants last summer.</s>German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview on Saturday that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives had “underestimated” the challenge of integrating a record migrant influx. 



Gabriel is also leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) – the junior coalition partner in Merkel’s government – and his comments to broadcaster ZDF come as campaigning gets under way for a federal election next year.

More than a million migrants flocked to Germany from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere last year. Concerns about how to integrate them all into German society and the labour market are now rife and support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) has grown.

“I, we always said that it’s inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year,” Gabriel said in extracts of an interview released on Saturday.

The IAB German labour office research institute says around 16,000 are still arriving each month, compared with more than 200,000 in November.

Gabriel also criticised Merkel’s catchphrase “Wir schaffen das”, meaning “We can do this”, which she adopted during the migrant crisis last summer and has repeatedly used since.

Merkel used the phrase at a news conference she held in late July after a spate of attacks on civilians in Germany, including two claimed by Isis, that have put her open-door migrant policy in the spotlight. Her popularity has slipped since those attacks.

Gabriel said repeating that phrase was not enough and the conservatives needed to create the conditions for Germany to be able to cope, adding that the conservatives had always blocked opportunities to do that.
An assassination attempt against Angela Merkel is foiled by Czech police.