Rabbi Lubavitch's grave
צילום: רויטרס
'Messiah's spokesman' threatens to kill PM
Tiberias resident detained on suspicion of distributing letters stating he plans to kill Sharon; says he would murder PM without delay if instructed to do so by Messiah
A Tiberias resident, who defines himself as the Messiah's spokesman, was arrested Thursday on suspicion he distributed letters stating that he plans to murder Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The suspect, 37-year-old Meir Baranes, said in one of the letters that "if I should receive an instruction from the Messiah to kill Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, I would do it immediately."
Baranes allegedly sent the letters to media channels in Israel and across the world. He will be brought before the Tiberias Magistrates court on Friday for a remand extension hearing, and is expected to be sent to a psychiatric observation. If he is found to be fit to stand trial, he will be indicted in the near future.
The suspect heads a Hassidic group whose members claim that Rabbi Lubavitch is the Messiah. As part of his role as spokesman, Baranes recently distributed letters in which he wrote that "the next prime minister will be the Messiah, Rabbi Lubavitch."
Instructed to run over chief rabbi with his car
Although he was already warned by the police, Baranes chose to distribute another, more severe letter, in which he declared that he would murder the current prime minister once he is instructed to do so by the Messiah.
Superintendent Paz Markstein, head of the investigation department at the Tiberias police station, said that "we asked him how he plans to commit the crime, and he answered that when the moment comes he will receive a detailed plan from the Messiah."
Baranes served as a fighter in the in the IDF's paratroopers unit, but was injured and acknowledged as an IDF handicapped veteran.
In his interrogation, Baranes said that after the injury he experienced a "revelation" and has since then been communicating with the rabbi (who passed away 11 years ago) and receiving instructions from him.
As part of these instructions, he once ran over Safed's chief rabbi with his car, after which he served a one-year prison term.
