Amman, Washington: Two Americans, one South African and three Jordanians were killed in a shooting incident at a Jordanian police training centre near Amman on Monday and the shooter was also killed, a US official said.
Six others were wounded in the attack, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
The Americans were working for the US State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau training Palestinian security forces, the official added.
Authorities have launched an investigation into whether the motive for the shooting was personal or political, said a spokesman Mohammad Momani said.
A military official said the attacker was a police captain who worked as a trainer at the facility. The captain was married and had two children, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the government has not released the assailant’s identity.
A US official said the Americans who were killed and wounded in the attack were part of a State Department police training programme.
The official said all were civilians, but declined to identify them.
The attack coincides with the 10th anniversary of suicide bombings in Amman hotels that cost 60 lives and wounded dozens more.
On Monday, King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania attended a memorial for the victims of the November 9, 2005 attacks.
