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Sunday, November 5, 1995
By Steve Macko, ENN Managing Editor
Yitzhak Rabin, the 73-year-old prime minister of Israel was assassinated
by a lone gunman at the King's Square in front of the City Hall in Tel Aviv
at a little after 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Just moments before the
shooting, Rabin had given a speech in front of about 80,000 people at a
festive peace rally. Witnesses said that as the prime minister was leaving
and about to get into his car a gunman fired three shots at close range.
Rabin was struck, according to the Israeli Health Minister, in the chest,
spleen and spine. The prime minister was immediately taken to Ichilov
Hospital in Tel Aviv. He reportedly arrived at the hospital unconscious
and without a pulse or blood pressure. Rabin was immediately rushed to
emergency surgery and died at about 11:10 p.m. on the operating table.
Later, outside Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, Rabin's spokesman Eytan Haber
made the following announcement: "The government of Israel
announces with astonishment and deep sorrow the death of Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin who was murdered by an assassin tonight in Tel Aviv."
Witnesses to the shooting told reporters that Rabin was about to enter
his car when the shots were fired. One witness said that he heard two
or three shots and "I saw Rabin holding his stomach. I don't know exactly
where he was shot, but he was holding his whole body and then he fell on
the ground." The witness said that security guards hovered over their
charge and then two more shots were fired. The assassin was then thrown
against a wall by dozens of police officers.
It was known that in recent weeks security had been tightened around the
prime minister. Another witness described what he saw -- "I was standing
three meters from the car. Rabin was walking down the steps, talking to
people, waving to people and smiling. He was in front of the car, waved
his hand and suddenly I heard three shots. Then I saw Rabin go down.
He was pushed into the car and surrounded by many security people with
their guns drawn. The car left and then we saw on the side security
people surrounding a man who was on the ground. The security people
shouted at us to lie on the ground and they waved their hands to go down."
One other witness said, "We didn't grasp that these were shots. We
thought somebody threw something. There weren't many people there, it
was very dark." Word of the shooting had reached the ENN News Desk
at a little past 1400 CST and the EmergencyNet NEWS Service issued the
following flash report:
****ENN News Flash*** 14:20hrs. CST 11/04/95
Prime Minister Rabin of Israel has reportedly been shot
leaving an otherwise peaceful "pro-peace rally" in Tel Aviv. Israeli
radio and an emergency service source are saying that Rabin was shot
three times in the back and shoulder and is in critical condition.
Witnesses at the hospital say that Rabin was "covered in blood"
upon his arrival at the hospital.
An alleged gunman is in custody and a little known "right-wing"
Israeli group called "INE" is claiming responsibility for the shooting.
Details are sketchy at the time of this report, but it would appear that the
assailant was an Israeli citizen who disagreed with Rabin's policies.
ENN is gathering additional details, but this event is sure to have major
political ramifications.
^^^
Security personnel at the scene of the murder immediately captured the
assassin. He is identified as 27-year-old Yigal Amir. Amir confessed
to the shooting of the prime minister and told authorities that God told
him to commit the deed and that he had no regrets. Amir told investigators
that he was acting alone. The gunman is said to be a third-year law
student at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, which is said to be a
religious school. Police said that the gunman was not married and is
a reserve IDF soldier assigned to the elite Golani brigade. He lived
in the town of Herzliya, which is located just north of Tel Aviv. It
was reported that Amir, in the past, worked as a security guard and
had a license to carry a pistol.
Police quoted the assassin as saying, "I acted alone on God's orders
and I have no regrets." When told that Rabin had died on the operating
table, the gunman told his interrogators, "I'm satisfied."
A government spokesman said this about the assassin -- "He belonged to
some Jewish organization which is anti-government and against the peace
process." There have been reports that Amir has been linked to a group
called Eyal, which is reported to be a radical anti-Arab Kach movement
that was founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane.
The leader of Eyal said on Israeli radio about the gunman, "We know him
from our activities. But he is not a member of our movement and we deny
any connection to the incident, and condemn such actions."
A fellow student of the assassin said that Amir was becoming more and
more agitated after each shooting and bombing attack that was conducted
by Muslim militants in Israel. The student who knows Amir, said, "After
every terrorist attack, after every murderous act, there were demonstrations.
He (Amir) would say, 'We have to stick it to Rabin and his government.'
This man expressed himself for quite a long time in a very extremist
manner."
There are reports that the assassin may had tried twice before to get
close enough to Rabin in an attempt to kill him. One of those times
may had been just after January 20th of this year, after 21 Israelis
were killed in a terrorist suicide bombing.Foreign Minister Shimon Peres,
a former prime minister of the country, has assumed the leadership of the
Israeli government in the interim. Peres was only yards away from Rabin
when he was shot.
It is believed that the shooting will trigger a government crackdown on
right-wing extremist groups in Israel. Right-wing elements in Israel
are very much opposed to the peace process with Palestinians and are
very upset about government plans to withdraw from parts of the West Bank.
It is estimated that there are between 200 to 300 hard-core extremists
who will probably be targeted by the Israeli security services.
The funeral for the slain prime minister will be held on Monday in
Jerusalem. Israeli security, police, and IDF personnel will now
prepare for the monumental headache that they will have in preparing
security arrangements for several world leaders who will attend the
funeral. Known to be coming to Israel are: Presidents Clinton, Ford,
and Carter, former Secretary's of State Baker and Kissinger from the
United States, Chancellor Helmut Kohl from Germany, Prime Minister
John Major of the United Kingdom, King Hussein of Jordon, President
Hosni Mubarek of Egypt and United Nations Secretary General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali. A police spokesman said, "We are ready for all
possibilities. We will not take any chances. Thousands of police
will be there."
The director of Israel's Shinbet, the internal security service of
Israel, cut short a trip in the United States and immediately returned
to Israel to help open an investigation into how the assassin got past
Rabin's security detail. The investigation will look into why the
elite bodyguards did not spot Amir. Personnel assigned to protect the
prime minister and other key officials in Israel are selected from
elite IDF commando units and are renown for their cool professionalism.
This publication will report more on the security surrounding the
prime minister in Monday's report.