Rabin bodyguard: ‘I put a gun to assassin’s head, chose not to kill him’

The secret service bodyguard assigned to Yitzhak Rabin on the night the prime minister was assassinated 20 years ago spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time about the moments when Yigal Amir opened fire, and his own decision not to kill Amir as he subdued the assassin.

The bodyguard, interviewed in a darkened room by Israel’s Channel 2 and identified only by the initials A.H., was a former officer from an army combat unit who had joined the Shin Bet’s VIP protection unit six months earlier and had been assigned to protect Rabin only immediately before the fateful November 4, 1995 Tel Aviv rally.

A.H. described hearing the first shot fired by Amir, who was standing immediately behind the prime minister as he made his way to his car after the rally.

“I looked to my left and I saw a man who I later identified as Yigal Amir standing with his right hand out, and then there was another shot. I saw the flash. I jumped on him.”

A.H. said he hit Amir on the hand that was holding the gun, and then “with my left hand I grabbed him. I wrapped my arm around his neck. I aimed punches at his face. I pulled out a gun, and put it to his head. I thought about it. I decided not to shoot.”

Channel 2 said A.H. was highly emotional during the interview, the first he has given about the events that night. It noted that the Shamgar Commission that investigated the assassination found his conduct to have been without flaw.

A.H. said the assassination is in his thoughts continually. “It will follow me to the end of my life… I believe that on my last day, that’s what I’ll be thinking about.”

A.H. was not the only bodyguard charged with protecting the prime minister that night. Another member of the team, Yoram Rubin, was slightly wounded by a third shot fired by Amir.

Channel 2 screened only a portion of the interview on Wednesday. The full interview is to be broadcast on Friday.