Tal Yinon Dardik, who is being held under an administrative detention order issued by Central Command chief MG Avi Bluth, has submitted an urgent request to be temporarily released from custody so he can attend the funeral of his close friend, Benayahu Melet.
Melet was murdered in a terror attack on Friday morning, as he attempted to defend a group of hikers from a group of Palestinian Arabs.
Dardik, who is suspected of serious offenses, submitted the request from his cell at the Russian Compound detention facility through attorneys from the Honenu legal aid organization.
In a handwritten letter, he wrote: "I urgently request to be allowed to leave and participate in the funeral of my friend and dear brother, Israel's hero Benayahu Melet... Signed, Tal Yinon Dardik."
Over the past week, senior officials in Israel's security establishment reportedly attempted to offer Dardik alternatives to detention at the Russian Compound, but he rejected all of them.
