Jordan Officer Killed in Amman Stabbing, Suspect Arrested

Photo: Gulf News

A Jordanian security officer was killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack on a busy street in Amman on Thursday. Police arrested the attacker at the scene and called it a terrorist attack, the second deadly attack on the country's security forces in less than two weeks.

The attack happened at around 12:20pm local time on Madinah Street, one of the capital's main roads, near the Sri Lankan embassy. Jordan's Public Security Directorate said one of its officers was attacked with a sharp weapon and died from his wounds. Khaleej Times named the officer killed as Corporal Jawad Ali Khalaf Al-Salayta.

State-run Al-Mamlaka TV reported that the attacker tried to seize the dead officer's weapon. A second officer stepped in to stop him, and both the attacker and the second officer were hurt in the struggle. Local press reported that the attacker was found carrying two daggers.

The Public Security Directorate said a first investigation showed the attacker had been planning a terrorist act against officers of the General Security Directorate. In its statement, it called the killing a cowardly terrorist attack. The injured officer and the attacker were both taken to hospital, and police have opened an investigation.

The stabbing comes weeks after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in the southern governorate of Karak on October 23, killing nine people and wounding 40. On November 3, Jordanian prosecutors charged three men over that attack. King Abdullah said on Monday that terrorists would not be allowed to threaten the country's unity and security, after the church attack prompted Jordanian strikes in Syria.

It is not yet clear whether Thursday's stabbing is linked to the church attack. For now, the police say their investigation will establish the full circumstances, and the man arrested on Madinah Street remains in custody.

Jordan has been in the headlines in the region this week, from Syria and Saudi Arabia signing a defence deal in Riyadh to South Korea moving navy patrols closer to the Strait of Hormuz, and the blog also reported the 1,134 Gaza children who lost limbs and cannot get treatment abroad.

Sources

• Al Jazeera: Security officer killed in stabbing attack in Jordan's capital
• Reuters via The Straits Times: Jordanian officer killed in Amman stabbing, suspect arrested
• Arab News: Jordanian security officer killed in street stabbing
• Khaleej Times: Jordan says security officer stabbed during duty in 'terrorist attack'

Jordanian police will give more details as their investigation into the attack moves forward.

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