An Israeli army patrol shot and killed a German tourist Saturday after he tried to cross the border into Jordan.
Israeli soldiers spotted the tourist, identified as Hans Thomas Peter Reit Schausen, 31, attempting to cross the frontier near the Dead Sea, the Israel Defense Force spokesman said.
The patrol ordered him to stop, and fired several warning shots into the air. When the man failed to halt, the soldiers fired at him.
News reports say Schausen arrived in Israel on April 23. Reportedly destitute, he visited the German Embassy on May 5 to ask for help.
The embassy staff had been advised the man was missing and might find his way to Israel, the reports said. Officials contacted his family in Germany and received in reply a cable containing biblical quotations from the Old and New Testaments.
The incident is under investigation by the IDF and the security services.
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