JORDAN: One foreign tourist killed and several wounded in Amman shooting

A lone gunman opened fire on a group of foreign tourists in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Monday (September 4, 2006), killing a British man and wounding six people, an official and a witness said. Jordanian government spokesman Nasser Joudeh said the gunman, a Jordanian, had been arrested and was being questioned. Joudeh told Reuters the wounded were three Britons, a Dutch national, a New Zealander and their Jordanian tour guide. "One British citizen has died as a result of his injuries and the others are receiving treatment," he said. Police cordoned off the site of the attack near the Roman amphitheatre in the downtown area of the capital. Mohammad Dowan said he saw the incident. "I was walking in the Roman amphitheatre at around 11:30 am and all of a sudden I heard gunfire. I saw seven foreigners walking and a man took out a gun from his pocket and started shooting them. He injured four and one of the four got killed and three were injured. Afterwards, the police surrounded him, he started shouting 'God is greatest' and he started shooting, when he finished the bullets he got out more bullets and resisted until all his bullets were finished and the police caught him," said Dowan. Witnesses said the gunman shot at least 12 bullets before he finished his ammunition and was chased in the crowded downtown area before he was arrested. Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez told reporters in a briefing near the site that police were investigating whether the incident was an act of terrorism or whether the man was deranged. Chest surgeon Dr Mohammad Saada treated a British woman for injuries at Basheer Hospital and told journalists: "The woman got shot on the left side of her chest which led to a minor injury in her lungs. Her condition is stable and I hope that she will not need surgery at a later date." Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet visited the hospital and told journalists: "I want to offer my condolences to the family of the victim and I wish a speedy recovery for the injured. I checked up on the injured and thank God most of them are in stable condition. The injured who are in a stable condition will be moved to Hamza Hospital or the Medical City according to their needs. On behalf of the Jordanian government I offer great condolences to the British people and all friendly nations." Bakheet also said the attack was against Jordan itself. "This is great aggression against Jordan's security and on Jordanian values and morals. This action is not part of our ethics and hospitality to visitors. This is a cowardly act. Jordan has been targetted because it is fighting terror, but this will not stop us from continuing our fight against terror and confronting imported ideologies that are invading our Islamic values and Jordanian society," the prime minister said. Al Qaeda in Iraq launched suicide bombings against tourist targets in Amman last year, killing scores of people, but Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip and its war against Hizbollah in Lebanon, which killed around 1,400 Arabs and has drawn international criticism, has also raised passions in Jordan, where anti-Israeli feelings are running high.

ITN Source | September 4, 2006

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