Shai Dahan, an Israeli citizen, was killed during riots at a prison in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Saturday, days before his trial was set to begin.
Dahan, 38, was arrested in June for alleged fraud in the sale of medical equipment and coronavirus tests under a false identity, in a plot that allegedly also included former Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram.
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His cellmate, an Israeli citizen named Oren Sheinman, was lightly wounded and taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Ecuadorian media reported that Dahan was killed after being hit by a blunt object. It is not clear how the attackers entered the cell and an investigation into the matter has reportedly been launched.
Riots had previously broken out in the prison last week, in which 11 prisoners were killed and 13 prisoners and five guards were injured.
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said: "One Israeli citizen was killed early in the morning in Ecuador and another Israeli citizen was lightly injured during riots in a local prison. The tragic incident is under investigation by local authorities. The family of the deceased in Israel has been notified. The Israeli Embassy in Quito and the Department for Israelis Abroad in the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are accompanying the family in its difficult time."
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