Security ⁠officer killed in stabbing attack in Jordan’s capital

What the report says

Jordanian authorities say a security officer was killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack outside the Sri Lankan embassy in Amman on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting. The officer who died was identified by the Public Security Directorate as Corporal Jawad Ali Khalaf al-Salaita, a member of the diplomatic security unit assigned to the embassy. The assault took place on Medina al-Munawwara Street in the west of the capital, and police cordoned off the area after the incident.

Al Jazeera reported that the attacker approached the guard booth and used a sharp weapon during the assault. A second officer intervened, and both he and the assailant were injured in the struggle. The wounded officer was taken to hospital and was said to be in stable condition, while the attacker was reported to be in critical condition. Jordanian authorities described the incident as a terrorist act, and the state prosecutor said the State Security Court had opened an investigation.

The report said security and counterterrorism units were deployed to the scene, and preliminary findings suggested the attacker had planned the assault. Officials also said he had prior terrorism-related convictions, according to court files cited by Al Jazeera. The incident has heightened concern in Jordan, where authorities are also dealing with the aftermath of another deadly attack in Karak weeks earlier. In that case, gunmen opened fire at a church funeral, killing nine people. Al Jazeera noted that it was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were connected.