During this meeting he says very little. At 18:30 Peres leaves and Sharon's secretary goes into his office to have him sign some documents. When she comes out she worriedly tells Lior Shilat, Sharon's personal assistant, that she thinks something is wrong with the prime minister because he seems a bit confused. Lior goes into Sharon's office and he too is under the impression that Sharon's speech is somewhat impaired. He suggests contacting Gilad, Sharon's son, so he would talk to his father and judge for himself.
At 19:30 Sharon leaves the office and goes his car. Sharon's convoy, which includes security officers and a paramedic, is on its way to Havat Hashikmin in the Negev, some 90 kilometers south of Jerusalem. On route, Sharon talks over the phone, and his escorts don't see anything out of the ordinary in his behavior.
Lior Shilat, Sharon's personal assistant, contacts the Shin Bet (General Security Services) headquarters to tell them about the incoherent speech of the prime minister, and asks them to contact the convoy and have them pay attention to Sharon's behavior. Fifteen minutes later Sharon's escorts notice that something is wrong. The prime minister is confused and not focused.
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