Jordan stabbing: Ex-convict facing terror charges over policeman’s death

A Jordanian court has charged an ex-convict with terrorism following the fatal stabbing of a police officer and wounding of another near the Sri Lankan embassy in Amman. The attack occurred on a busy street in the capital last Thursday, just days after a church shooting in central Jordan that killed nine men on October 23. Authorities have described both incidents as terrorist acts and arrested individuals involved in the church attack last month.

The suspect, identified as Muhannad Al Hmouri, is a 28-year-old Jordanian citizen. Born in 1994, Al Hmouri was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2022 for his alleged participation in a plan to attack a security compound in the northern governorate of Irbid and for alleged links to ISIS. He was released from prison shortly before the stabbing incident.

During the stabbing, the suspect reportedly attempted to seize a rifle from the victimized corporal. However, another police officer, Captain Firas Al Ananzeh, who had arrived at the scene shortly after Al Hmouri's arrival, intervened and was wounded while attempting to apprehend the attacker. The prosecution division of the state's Security Court has now concluded all investigative procedures related to the terrorist act against the ranks of public security in Amman.

Both the stabbing and the church attack have shocked Jordan, where violence against the Christian community is uncommon. While militants have targeted security forces multiple times over the past decade, the killing of Corporal Jawad Al Salayta has been widely seen as a brazen challenge to the security core of the establishment. Pro-government media has identified Al Hmouri as the perpetrator of the attack.