Jordanian writer killed over cartoon

Amman, Sept. 25: A prominent Jordanian writer was shot dead on Sunday on the steps of a court where he was facing charges for sharing an antiIslam cartoon online, in an attack condemned as “heinous”.

Nahed Hattar was struck by three bullets before the alleged assassin was arrested at the scene of the shooting in Amman’s central Abdali district, said the official Petra news agency.

The assailant — bearded and dressed in a grey dishdasha worn by conservative Muslim men — shot Hattar, a 56-year-old Christian, as he made his way up the stairs of the court, a security source said.

Struck in the head, he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, said the source.

The gunman, a 49-year-old Amman resident, gave himself up to police at the court, the source added.

Government spokesman Mohammad Momani condemned Hattar’s killing as a “heinous crime.”

“The government will strike with an iron hand all those who exploit this crime to broadcast speeches of hatred to our community,” he told the Petra agency.

But Hattar’s supporters hold the government responsible for the shooting, accusing Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki of creating a hostile atmosphere that encouraged the violence.

Hattar was arrested on August 13 and charged with inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islam before being released on bail in September. — PTI

NAHED HATTAR had turned himself in after Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Mulki ordered a probe into a cartoon he had shared on Facebook

HATTAR’S family has claimed that the writer had no protection despite having asked for it after receiving death threats on Facebook and by phone