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2 Americans and a South African Killed in Jordan Police Training Center Jordanian Police Officer Kills Four, Including Two Americans
(about 1 hour later)
AMMAN, Jordan — A Jordanian police officer opened fire at a training center in the capital, Amman, on Monday, killing two United States training officers and a South African before he was shot and killed, American and Jordanian officials said. AMMAN, Jordan — At least four people, including two American trainers, were killed on Monday at an Amman training compound by a Jordanian police officer who fired on them before he was shot to death, the government said.
A Jordanian government spokesman, Mohammad Momani, said that three training officers with the public security department had been killed at a compound in east Amman that is used to train Palestinians and Iraqis, and that the gunman had been killed by the police at the scene. The shooting in the Jordanian capital immediately raised concerns of a possible infiltration of the training program by anti-American militants. Jordan, a United States ally, has been involved in the American-led aerial bombing campaign against Islamic State targets in neighboring Syria and Iraq for the past year.
Mr. Momani said that two Americans and four Jordanians had been wounded, and that one was in critical condition. He said an investigation was underway. Jordanian and American officials said it was premature to speculate on the motive of the gunman, who was identified in official statements only as a Jordanian police officer.
An American official, who asked not to be identified because he was describing early reports, said that the Americans who had been killed were contractors, not active-duty military officers. Another American official confirmed that account. The Jordan Times newspaper quoted an unnamed relative of the assailant as saying he was Anwar Abu Zaid, a 28-year-old police captain and university graduate who was married with two children and was from the northern Jordanian village of Rimoun. The newspaper said residents were in “complete shock” over the shootings and described the assailant as “a very kind person, who is religious but moderate.”
The gunman was described by one of the American officials as a Jordanian police officer who had been fired. A Jordanian government spokesman, Mohammad Momani, said in a statement that three contractors with the Public Security Department, including two Americans and South African as well as a Jordanian civil employee, were killed by the gunman at the police training center in eastern Amman.
The State Department runs and finances the program to train Iraqi and Palestinian police officers, and the United States Embassy in Amman said in a statement that it had received news of a security breach at the Jordan International Police Training Center, although it did not elaborate. Mr. Momani’s statement, carried by the official Petra News Agency, also said two American trainers and three Jordanians were wounded in the shooting spree. The statement said that “police forces dealt with the incident and killed the attacker.”
“We have received reports about a security incident at J.I.P.T.C.,” the statement said. “We are in contact with the appropriate Jordanian authorities, who have offered their full support. We will report more information when available and appropriate.” A statement from the Royal Court said King Abdullah II had visited the wounded at the Hussein Medical Center in Amman.
The embassy issued a separate statement later in the day urging “individuals to please avoid that area for the time being.” The United States Embassy issued a statement after the shooting admonishing American citizens to avoid the area “for the time being.”
An American official, who asked not to be identified because he was describing early reports, described the gunman as a Jordanian police officer who had been fired, but there was no immediate corroboration of such a detail.
The timing of the training center attack — 10 years after suicide bombers attacked three hotels in Amman on Nov. 9, 2005, killing nearly 60 and wounding more than 100 — raised questions about whether there was a link.
During the 2005 attack, three suicide bombers tore through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, a wedding party at the Radisson SAS Hotel down the street, and at the Days Inn Hotel several miles away, minutes apart. More than half of the victims were Jordanians.
The State Department runs and finances the program at the Amman compound to train Iraqi and Palestinian police officers.
The compound is on the edges of Amman, in a neighborhood called Muwaqqar, and staffed with instructors from the United States, Britain and elsewhere, said Michael Herzog, a retired Israeli general and a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.The compound is on the edges of Amman, in a neighborhood called Muwaqqar, and staffed with instructors from the United States, Britain and elsewhere, said Michael Herzog, a retired Israeli general and a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Palestinians from government security forces and presidential guards have also received training at the compound, Mr. Herzog said. It was not immediately clear who was at the compound during the attacks.Palestinians from government security forces and presidential guards have also received training at the compound, Mr. Herzog said. It was not immediately clear who was at the compound during the attacks.
Jordan is a close ally of the United States, and it has been participating in the United States-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
In February, Jordan intensified airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in retaliation for the immolation of one of its pilots, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was captured after his F-16 went down in northern Syria.In February, Jordan intensified airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in retaliation for the immolation of one of its pilots, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was captured after his F-16 went down in northern Syria.
Jordan and Turkey were the two countries in which the Pentagon based a $500 million program to train and equip Syrian opposition forces fighting the Islamic State. That program was recently abandoned in favor of one to equip existing opposition forces, primarily Arab fighters in eastern Syria. The C.I.A. also has a covert program to train Syrian rebels in Jordan.Jordan and Turkey were the two countries in which the Pentagon based a $500 million program to train and equip Syrian opposition forces fighting the Islamic State. That program was recently abandoned in favor of one to equip existing opposition forces, primarily Arab fighters in eastern Syria. The C.I.A. also has a covert program to train Syrian rebels in Jordan.
But the United States’ Arab allies have been playing a less-active role in the battle against the Islamic State recently. The United Arab Emirates carried out its most recent strikes in Syria in March, Jordan in August and Saudi Arabia in September, according to information provided by allied officials.But the United States’ Arab allies have been playing a less-active role in the battle against the Islamic State recently. The United Arab Emirates carried out its most recent strikes in Syria in March, Jordan in August and Saudi Arabia in September, according to information provided by allied officials.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now focusing on the battle against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and Jordan has also diverted resources to the conflict there in a demonstration of support for the Saudis.Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now focusing on the battle against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and Jordan has also diverted resources to the conflict there in a demonstration of support for the Saudis.
The timing of the training center attack — 10 years after suicide bombers attacked three hotels in Amman on Nov. 9, 2005, killing nearly 60 and wounding more than 100 — immediately raised questions about whether there was a link.
During the 2005 attack, three suicide bombers tore through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, a wedding party at the Radisson SAS Hotel down the street, and at the Days Inn Hotel several miles away, minutes apart. More than half of the victims were Jordanians.