Ayman Fadilat-Amman
Witnesses told Al-Jazeera Net the details of the incident with a knife attack on tourists and citizens by a young Ashrini, in the effects of Jerash north of the capital Amman. A security source confirmed that the perpetrator was a resident of Jerash camp and did not come from Palestine as he had previously stated.
The witnesses said that the young man "Mohamed AT, 22," infiltrated the city of antiquities under the fence adjacent to the main street, did not enter from the main gate where the search through electronic gates.
According to witnesses, the young man tried to enter the archaeological city through the gate of the visitor center, but was prevented because he did not have an entry ticket, and then retreated to the square between the arcs of victory (the main entrance to the monuments area) and the visitor center.
Witnesses added that visitors usually gather with the tour guide in this square, then the aggressor took advantage of the opportunity and pulled his knife and attacked four tourists where he stabbed a tourist in the back and another in the abdomen, and injured a tourist in the leg.
"When we saw that, we attacked the young assailant with sticks and iron pipes and prevented him. He attacked one of the young men who tried to stop him and he also attacked the tourist guide corresponding to the tourist groups," a witness said.
The witness added that the security forces intervened directly and took control of the attacker, but he succeeded in wounding a number of security men with the knife he carries.
| During the transfer of the injured by helicopter to the Medical City for treatment (Al-Jazeera) |
Following the incident, a Mexican tourist and a tour guide were transferred to the Medical City by plane for treatment. They were visited by the Chief of the Royal Court, representing King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, and dozens of citizens flocked to donate blood to help the injured.
Across the King's Bridge
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 22-year-old was born in 1997 and lives in the Jerash camp known as "Gaza camp."
The Directorate of Public Security that the death toll of the attack amounted to eight, four of them Jordanians and three tourists from Mexico and a Swiss tourist, calling on all not to circulate videos showing the injured in the incident.
Amer al-Sartawi, a media spokesman for the Public Security Directorate, said that investigations are continuing, stressing that the number of injuries were four injuries to Jordanians, including two non-commissioned officers from the Directorate, a tourist guide and a bus driver.
The brutal attack on our guests and children in Jerash does not represent the values of Arabism or the truth of Islam, and every Jordanian and Arab is innocent of it. We call for the speedy recovery of all the wounded, and we salute the civilian and military supporters who rose in the face of the attack and joined together for the homeland. May God protect the Jordanians and Jordanians - Samir Al-Rifai. Samir Zaid Al Rifai (@samirAlRifai) 6 November 2019 |
The media spokesman added that all the injured are still receiving treatment and their condition is all moderate, with the exception of a non-commissioned officer and a Mexican tourist, their condition is critical.
Al-Sartawi called on citizens with the spread of video clips of the injured through social media platforms, and the obligation not to publish and circulate because of the legal violation and abuse of the injured and their families.
All possibilities are open
There were numerous analyzes after the incident, linking some that the attack may be linked to entities dealing with the Israeli occupation brainwashed this young man on the grounds that the targeted tourists are Jews.
It is also possible, according to one analysis, that the attack is linked to terrorist movements, and the hypothesis of criminal action also remains, and the aggressor may be psychopath.
Hassan Abu Haniyeh, an expert in Islamic movements, said that the method of carrying out this terrorist act is rudimentary, contrary to the practice of "terrorist" organizations such as the Islamic State, which uses various weapons and explosives, but the terrorist hypothesis exists.
The criminal incident in # Jerash is not the first of its kind, and has already seen major countries similar incidents, but worse with different motives! Such as run-over incidents in France and Germany and shootings in Belgium, America, etc., however, the world today faces a new challenge that is difficult to deal with a traditional security mentality. - Islam sawalha-islam sawalha (@samsawalha) 6 November 2019 |
He added to the island Net that since the preliminary investigations have not yet shown any details on the reasons for the operation, the perpetrator may be mentally ill or suffering from mental illness, and may be driven by the Zionist entity through the agents who cooperate with him.
Analysts also linked that the incident was intended to hit the tourist season and undermine confidence in the security measures accompanying tourists.
For his part, military expert Fayez Douiri told Al Jazeera Net "All possibilities and analyzes are open, especially since we did not know the details of criminal investigations until the moment, and may be exploited by parties hostile to Jordan to serve its objectives."
He added that the attacker "may be mentally ill and carried out this work unconsciously, or may be drug users, or influenced by the thought of terrorist movements such as ISIS or other, and these are called solo wolves."