File - In this July 5, 1999 file photo, Samuel Sheinbein, accused of the 1997 murder of Alfredo Tello Jr., in Maryland, is brought in handcuffs to a Tel Aviv court. Israeli special forces raided a prison in central Israel on Sunday, killing one of the country's most notorious inmates after he seized a guard's weapon, shot three guards and barricaded himself inside the compound. Police identified the inmate as Samuel Sheinbein, an American who fled to Israel after committing a gruesome murder in Maryland in 1997 and whose case sparked a high-profile row between the two allies.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File) (The Associated Press)
JERUSALEM – Israeli police say an American-Israeli prisoner killed in a shootout with prison guards had fired a weapon that was smuggled into jail.
Police initially said that inmate Samuel Sheinbein stole a gun from one of his guards before special forces shot him dead Sunday. But police spokeswoman Luba Samri said Monday the inmate apparently smuggled the gun into jail. She said the matter was being investigated.
Sheinbein, who was 34, fled from the U.S. to Israel after murdering and dismembering a Maryland man in 1997. His case sparked a high-profile row between the allies after he received refuge from extradition.
It is unclear how Sheinbein obtained the weapon. Israeli media reported he recently was caught trying to steal a weapon on a prison furlough.
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