Terrordåd i Jordanien 2016-12-18

Gunmen carried out a series of attacks in central Jordan on Sunday, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing four members of the Jordanian security forces and a woman visiting from Canada, officials said.

A Canadian tourist and four police officers have been killed in gun attacks in and near the Jordanian city of Karak, officials say.

Unidentified gunmen went on a shooting spree before fleeing to an ancient castle in the city and taking several tourists hostage.

Jordanian officials said events began with a shoot-out between police and armed men at a house near Karak. The gunmen then fled by car into the city.

Nine other people have been wounded.

No group has admitted carrying out the attacks.


"Police and security forces have surrounded the castle and its vicinity and launched an operation to hunt down the gunmen," a statement by Jordan's Public Security Directorate said.


One report said some tourists had been released, but this was not confirmed. It is not clear how many are trapped inside Karak's Crusader-era castle.

The statement said gunmen had also shot at a security patrol before they reached the castle. Once inside they opened fire on a police station, a statement said.

It is not clear if all the fatalities took place at the castle.

Footage on social media purportedly from the scene showed armed police moving into the sprawling castle complex and helping tourists when shots ring out and they are forced to retreat.

Armed men have killed 10 people, including police officers and a Canadian tourist, in southern Jordan where security forces reportedly shot dead several unidentified attackers.

A government spokesman told Jordanian media on Sunday evening that the security operation in the city Al-Karak, 120km south of capital Amman, had come to an end.

Jordan's general security department said seven police officers, a female Canadian tourist and two local civilians were killed in the series of shootings.

It said that besides the dead, 27 others, including policemen and civilians, were wounded.

The Canadian government confirmed the death of one of its nationals.

A separate police statement said that "a number of outlaws who committed ugly crimes this afternoon" had been killed and that security forces were combing the city's Crusader-era castle, a well-known tourist destination, for more assailants.

Jenan Moussa ‏@jenanmoussa 1 tim
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