Rabin's killer allowed to talk to media

JERUSALEM, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Yigal Amir, the assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was allowed to talk to reporters Thursday for the first time in his 15-year imprisonment.

Amir, 39, was in court for a hearing on extending his period of solitary confinement for another six months, Ynetnews.com reported. He has been held in solitary since his arrest after shooting Rabin in November 1995.

In a brief interview, Amir said he would prefer to be in the prison's general population and has no fears for his safety in prison.

"There is no doubt that the request to detain me in solitary confinement stems from a vengeful decision," he said. "They should say so explicitly -- we wish to punish Yigal Amir in another way."

Justice David Heshin is expected to decide within a few weeks on the extension.

Amir refused to say whether he regrets the assassination. He was a 25-year-old student and right-wing activist when he shot Rabin as the prime minister left a rally in support of the Oslo Accords.

"This is a question that warrants a much deeper conversation," he said.

Prosecutors objected to allowing Amir to talk to the news media but Heshin decided he could respond to a few questions.