Gunman shot dead, 3 policemen injured in shooting near Israeli embassy in Jordan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The area near the Israeli embassy in Amman is a flashpoint for frequent demonstrations against Israel.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
AMMAN – A gunman was killed and three policemen injured after a shooting near the Israeli embassy in Jordan, a security source and state media said on Nov 24.
Police shot a man who had fired at a police patrol in the Rabiah neighbourhood of Amman, state news agency Petra reported, citing public security, adding that investigations were ongoing.
The gunman, who was carrying an automatic weapon, was chased for at least an hour before he was cornered and killed just before dawn, according to a security source.
Jordan’s Communications Minister Mohammad Momani described the shooting as a terror attack that targeted public security forces in the country. He said in a statement that investigations into the attack were under way.
“Tampering with the security of the nation and attacking security personnel will be met with a firm response,” Mr Momani said, adding that the gunman had a criminal record in drug trafficking.
Jordanian police earlier cordoned off an area near the heavily policed Israeli embassy after gunshots were heard, witnesses said on Nov 24.
Two witnesses said police and ambulances rushed to the Rabiah neighborhood, where the embassy is located, after sporadic gunfire was heard.
The area is a flashpoint for frequent demonstrations against Israel. The kingdom has witnessed some of the biggest peaceful rallies across the region as anti-Israel sentiment runs high over the war in Gaza
Police had called on residents to stay in their homes as security personnel conducted a search for the culprits, a security source said.
Many of Jordan’s 12 million citizens are of Palestinian origin – they or their parents having been expelled or fled to Jordan in the fighting that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. Many have family ties on the other side of the Jordan River.
Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel is widely unpopular among many citizens, who see normalisation of relations as betraying the rights of their Palestinian compatriots. REUTERS
