Two Americans among 5 shot to death in Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan — A Jordanian police captain opened fire Monday on instructors at an international police training centre in Jordan’s capital, killing at least five people, including two Americans, before being shot dead by security forces.

It was not clear if there was a political motive to the shooting spree, which also wounded six people, including two Americans. But concern has swirled in staunchly pro-Western Jordan over possible revenge attacks by Islamic militants since the country assumed a high-level role in the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State extremist group, which controls large areas of neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

The unprecedented assault inside a Jordanian security compound also raised questions about the kingdom’s image as an island of relative stability in a turbulent region.

The shooting took place at the Jordan International Police Training Center in Amman, where Jordanian and foreign instructors, including Americans, have trained thousands of police officers from the Palestinian territories and other parts of the Arab world in recent years.

The Jordanian officer opened fire, killing the two Americans and a South African contractor before being shot dead, government spokesman Mohammed Momani said.

Two Jordanians were critically wounded and later died, he said.