Earlier Monday afternoon, a Jordanian policeman opened fire on a training facility outside Jordan's capital Amman, killing at least four and injuring six. Arabic and English media have been alight with the news since then, trying to make sense of what happened.
Here is what we know so far.
1. Jordanian state news agency Petra reports at least five people were killed and seven others injured in the attack, including two American trainers, a South African and two Jordanians. The Jordanian government has identified one victim as Kamal al-Malkawi, a Jordanian man who used to work as a translator on the base. The American and South African fatalities have not yet been named.
2. The shooter has been identified as Anwar Abu Zaid, a senior Jordanian co-trainer with a captain's rank at the US-funded Jordan International Police Training Center just outside Amman. The site serves as a training facility for Palestinian and Iraqi policemen and is run by both Jordanian and American personnel.
3. It is not yet clear what the shooter's motive was, though an investigation is underway into possible personal or political grounds, Jordan's country spokesperson Mohammad Momani told the press.
4. Abu Zaid was killed by fellow trainers after opening fire at the site during lunchtime. Earlier statements in Jordanian local news claimed he killed himself after shooting several others at the scene, citing unnamed security officials. But this was corrected in a later statement by Momani, who said colleagues shot him dead.
5. Concern of political motivation behind this attack is mentioned in reports and on social media. It also doesn’t help it comes on the 10-year anniversary of the 2005 Amman bombings, where 60 people were killed and dozens wounded in a series of suicide bombings on hotels in the capital. And while no connection has been announced by Jordanian or American officials, some media outlets have raised questions about whether today's incident could be another terror attack.
By Alisa Reznick
