Meyer Burns who had previously run over a rabbi and was recently indicted for murder tells police: 'I came to Kotel to kill Rabbi Ovadia', but rabbi made last minute cancellation
Some will say it is providence, others will claim it is a simple coincidence: "I came to the Kotel to kill Rabbi Ovadia Yosef," a mentally ill man admitted to police when he was arrested for questioning. Based on his previous history, it is reasonable to assume that he was serious.
Meyer Burns.(50) is known to the authorities. He lives in the north and was once a member of the messianic sect of the Chabad Hasidic group.
In 2000 he ran his car over then Safed Chief Rabbi Levi Bistritsky and left the rabbi severely injured. "The Rebbe commanded me to do it." He said when interrogated by police.
After the incident he was sent to a closed psychiatric ward – which he was release from a few months ago. It was then that he decided to kill Rabbi Ovadia, setting the date for fast of the ninth day of the month of Av (Tisha b'Av).
Luckily, the rabbi cancelled his visit at the last minute because he was feeling unwell.
The disappointed man went home where he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau in which he announced that he had put a Pulsa Denura curse (a Kabbalistic death curse) on the PM, like the one taken out on former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin before he was murdered.
The man was located, sent to observation and in the psychiatric ward reiterated his intentions towards Rabbi Ovadia. He is now under arrest awaiting trial for attempted murder after he stabbed another patient who had ripped up a picture of the Lubavitch Rebbe.
'I had to assassinate him'
During his interrogation, the man told police of his plans to kill Rabbi Ovadia: "On Tisha b'Av I equipped myself with a sharp shard of glass and went to the Kotel to assassinate Rabbi Ovadia.
I knew he was supposed to visit there and planned on getting close to him by pretending I wanted a blessing from him and then tearing his throat. At the end, he never came."
When asked about his reasons for seeking to kill the rabbi he said: "Rabbi Ovadia spoke against the Lubavitch Rebbe, He humiliated him so I had to assassinate him."
Close associates of Rabbi Ovadia were made aware of the threats and placed a metal detector at the entrance to his home.
Since the rabbi does not receive a bodyguard from the State, Shas party ministers who do receive State funded protection, decided they would accompany the rabbi when he left his home so that someone would be on hand to respond should he be attacked.
Yediot has released additional information based on additional conversations with Barnes, indicating he came to the Kosel this past Tisha B’Av, planning to murder the gadol hador at the holy site.
Yediot (Y):
The reports are circulating via the internet that you plan to murder Rav Ovadia Yosef.
Baranes (B):
What else is mentioned? Anything about Bibi (PM Netanyahu)? Anyway, I was in court today and they decided I am fit to stand trial. I have another statement to make regarding my plans to kill Rabbi Ovadia. I have another hearing on December 12th.
Y:
How are you going to kill him while you are locked up?
B:
Listen, I was by the Gilad Shalit tent, showing them a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Gilad. You remember I showed you the letter. I gave them the letter and from there traveled to the Kosel. I waited for Rav Ovadia to arrive, and I planned to kill him. I am telling you this. I haven’t shared this with anyone. I wanted to get him and used my tefillin. They check for sharp objects but I was going to place it inside the tefillin, you understand. That is what I did with Arabs. I was going to slit his throat.
Y:
Why didn’t you do it?
B:
Because he did not come. I waited.
Conversation continues for another six minutes…
Shas officials are not taking threats by Baranes or anyone else ligtly and security around Rav Ovadia has recently been stepped up, including a metal detector in the entrance of the rav’s apartment building in the Har Nof area of Yerushalayim.
No comments:
Post a Comment