JERUSALEM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Thursday warned of further political murders in Israel by "cancerous" groups of religious right-wing extremists.

    "The seed of calamity has already been sewn; it has been sewn in messianic groups. They aren't many, but like a cancerous growth they are deadly. We must not ignore this and must work to uproot it," he was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as saying.

    Barak made the comments at a memorial ceremony for assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. On Nov. 4, 1995, assassin Yigal Amir, who wanted to stop the peace process Rabin initiated with the Palestinians, shot Rabin three times.

    The defense minister was echoing comments made recently by other senior Israeli officials. On Tuesday, the anniversary of Rabin's murder, Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer said that the next political assassination was "around the corner."

    On Sunday, Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin also said he was "extremely concerned" that extreme right-wing activists might launch attacks against national leaders.

    "As the anniversary of the Rabin assassination draws near, the Shin Bet has spotted among right-wing extremists the readiness to use firearms in order to halt political proceedings and harm leaders. The Shin Bet is extremely concerned by this," said Diskinat the weekly cabinet meeting.