Israeli forces kill American gunman in shoot-out

Israeli forces killed an American man who opened fire in a hotel packed with tourists on Friday.

Police and military troops surrounded the hotel in the resort city of Eilat after the man "grabbed a weapon from a security guard and shot a hotel worker," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, according to Reuters.

The incident happened at the Leonardo Club hotel, and the hotel employee who was shot later died, according to NBC News.

Authorities said the shooting appeared to be an internal matter and was not related to terrorism or politically motivated.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz identified the hotel employee who was killed as 33-year-old Armando Abed. The shooter, a 23-year-old American citizen, was a former employee of the hotel.

More on GlobalPost: Suspects in Libya ambassador killings held in Turkey, reports say

Guests were instructed to remain in their rooms following the first shooting, Haaretz reported.

Israeli police said the gunman was participating in a program called "Oranim," a part of Masa Israel Journey, which brings Jews to Israel for work and studies.

Ofer Gutman, head of the Oranim program, told the Associated Press that the shooter had been fired from the hotel on Tuesday and was going to be reassigned, The New York Times reported.

He was a normal guy,” Gutman said, according to The Times. “There was nothing that indicated what would happen in the end.