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Jordan gunmen take refuge in castle after killing seven people Jordan gunmen take refuge in castle after killing seven people
(about 1 hour later)
Unidentified gunmen have fled to a castle after reportedly killing seven people, including a Canadian citizen, and injuring nine more in attacks on several police patrols in the southern Jordanian city of Karak. Unidentified gunmen have fled into a castle after killing seven people, including a Canadian citizen, and injuring nine more in attacks on several police patrols in the southern Jordanian city of Karak.
Jordanian security officials said the people were killed during a series of drive-by shootings in the town and also reportedly around its Crusader-era castle. In a day of trauma for the kingdom, which has suffered less than many of its neighbours from recent destabilising violence in the region, police in the popular tourist destination were engaged in running battles with the gunmen, who took refuge in the city’s famous crusader-era castle.
According to Reuters and local media quoting police and security sources, other tourists were believed to be trapped inside the castle with between four and six of the gunmen who took refuge there after the shootings. According to Jordanian security officials, the deaths came in a series of drive-by shootings in Karak. They were part of a series of incidents that began in a neighbouring town and ended with the castle under siege and several tourists reportedly trapped inside.
Amid reports that some local residents had entered the sprawling castle to help rescue those trapped inside, video posted on social media appeared to show several people, one wearing a rucksack, being escorted through a gate by security officials. As night fell, the operation to arrest the gunmen in the castle was continuing. There was no immediate claim of responsibility or suggestion from Jordanian security officials of who might be involved or why.
According to al-Gahd news agency as many as 14 tourists were possibly trapped inside the castle, with some reports suggesting some may have been taken hostage, although none of that could immediately be confirmed. The day’s events, some captured dramatically on video posted to social media, began when a Jordanian police patrol was called to a report of a house fire in the town of Qatraneh in the Karak district, according to a statement issued by Jordan’s public security directorate.
Jordanian police said the five dead included four police officers and a Canadian, who – according to unconfirmed reports – was a female tourist visiting the town, 80 miles (130km) south of Amman. The officers responding to the call came under fire from inside the house, the statement said, with two police officers wounded and the assailants fleeing in a car. The attack in Qatraneh, however, would turn out to be only the first in a series, with gunmen opening fire on a security patrol in the city of Karak itself, causing no injuries.
An unconfirmed report on the Arab broadcaster al-Arabiya also suggested the gunmen in the castle may have taken hostages. Armed men also opened fire on a police station in Karak castle, wounding members of the security forces. After that five or six armed men escaped into the sprawling tourist site, a poorly lit labyrinth partly underground.
Initial reports suggested that about 10 gunmen may have been involved in the attacks. Police said the attackers had been pursued into the castle, where some had taken cover after shooting at a nearby police station. Describing the start of the attacks, an official statement carried by the Petra state news agency said: “As soon as they reached [Qatraneh], unknown gunmen who were inside the house opened fire on the patrol, wounding a policeman, and then fled by car.”
According to the first reports gunmen in two different positions opened fire inside the town, one targeting a passing police patrol and another firing from close to or inside the castle. At the same time, gunmen holed up in the castle opened fire on the Karak police station, “wounding several policemen and passersby” who were rushed to hospital, the statement added.
Video footage posted online by witnesses claiming to be in Karak showed people running in the street and police taking cover behind vehicles near a police station amid the sound of shooting. “Police and security forces have surrounded the castle and its vicinity and launched an operation to hunt down the gunmen,” the statement said, adding that the search was still under way.
A senior security source said some people were trapped in a lower floor of the castle when the gunmen took shelter there, but denied media reports that they were being held as hostages.
“There are no hostages. But some people who were on a lower floor were afraid of leaving as the gunmen traded fire with the security forces,” said the source, who did not wish to be identified.
Video footage posted online by witnesses claiming to be in Karak showed people running in the street and police taking cover behind vehicles near a police station amid the sound of shooting. Later footage appeared to show several people, including one wearing a rucksack, being escorted through a gate by security officials.
Jordanian police said the seven dead included four police officers and a Canadian, who – according to unconfirmed reports – was a female tourist visiting the town, 80 miles (130km) south of Amman.
Initial reports suggested that about 10 gunmen may have been involved in the attacks. Police said attackers had been pursued into the castle, where some had taken cover.
Karak, a mountainous city of around 170,000 people, is a popular tourist destination, with the ruins of its fortified town and castle sitting 900 metres above sea level.Karak, a mountainous city of around 170,000 people, is a popular tourist destination, with the ruins of its fortified town and castle sitting 900 metres above sea level.
The Jordanian state news agency Petra said security forces were “handling the situation” amid reports on social media that the government had dispatched extra forces including helicopters to deal with it. Petra said security forces were “handling the situation” amid reports on social media that the government had dispatched extra forces including helicopters.
While Jordan has been left relatively unscathed both by the aftermath of the Arab spring and by the rise of Islamic State, a number of recent security incidents have raised concern about the kingdom.While Jordan has been left relatively unscathed both by the aftermath of the Arab spring and by the rise of Islamic State, a number of recent security incidents have raised concern about the kingdom.
The shootings were the latest in a series of attacks that have challenged the pro-western kingdom’s claim to be an oasis of calm in a region threatened by Islamic extremists.
The killing of the Canadian tourist could further hurt Jordan’s embattled tourism sector, which has declined sharply since the Islamic State group seized large parts of neighbouring Syria and Iraq two years ago.
Hundreds of Jordanians have fought alongside Isis militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more support the extremist group in the kingdom.Hundreds of Jordanians have fought alongside Isis militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more support the extremist group in the kingdom.
In November 2015, a Jordanian police captain opened fire in an international police training facility, killing two Americans and three others. The government portrayed the police captain as troubled. Others suggested the motivation was related to Isis.In November 2015, a Jordanian police captain opened fire in an international police training facility, killing two Americans and three others. The government portrayed the police captain as troubled. Others suggested the motivation was related to Isis.
In the latest incident last month three US special forces soldiers, members of a training mission in Jordan, were killed after being shot at the gates of their base in the south of the country in an incident that has not fully been explained.In the latest incident last month three US special forces soldiers, members of a training mission in Jordan, were killed after being shot at the gates of their base in the south of the country in an incident that has not fully been explained.
Jordan is among a few Arab states that have taken part in a US-led air campaign against Isis militants holding territory in Syria. But many Jordanians oppose their country’s involvement, saying it has caused violent deaths of fellow Muslims and raised security threats inside Jordan.Jordan is among a few Arab states that have taken part in a US-led air campaign against Isis militants holding territory in Syria. But many Jordanians oppose their country’s involvement, saying it has caused violent deaths of fellow Muslims and raised security threats inside Jordan.
Officials worry about radical Islam’s growing profile in Jordan and support in impoverished areas for militant groups.Officials worry about radical Islam’s growing profile in Jordan and support in impoverished areas for militant groups.