A videotape that shows the Nov. 4 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin will be given to prosecutors for possible use during the trial of confessed assassin Yigal Amir.
An unidentified man who was standing on a roof overlooking the spot where Rabin was killed videotaped the event and later gave the footage to police, Israel Radio reported Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry said Wednesday that the tape may be used as evidence in Amir’s trial, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 19.
The tape, which she said “clearly shows the assassination,” would not be made public until at least after the trial.
And even then, the spokeswoman added, the ministry would “wait and see” before deciding whether it should be made public.
A state commission investigating the assassination received the tape from police shortly after the slaying, but kept it from the public out of consideration for Rabin’s family, Israel Radio said.
The panel, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Meir Shamgar, is reviewing the tape, hoping to get additional information about how Amir was able to penetrate security and get within point-blank shooting range of Rabin.
Security officials said the fact that the man was able to get up on the roof to shoot the videotape represented another security lapse, noting that if he had been a sniper he would have been able to shoot the prime minister from that vantage point.
On Tuesday, members of the state commission of inquiry visited the Tel Aviv square where Rabin was shot after addressing a massive peace rally.
Their visit came after hearing testimony for three weeks from security officials involved in guarding the area and from witnesses near the site of the shooting.
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