Amman- Jordanian security authorities were Thursday
investigating a shooting incident in which a gunman wounded six
people during a concert in downtown Amman the night before, official
sources said.
Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communication
Nasser Judeh said the wounded were four Lebanese, an Arab Israeli
woman and a Jordanian tourist bus driver.
He said that initial investigations showed that the incident was
of a 'criminal nature.'
The Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez visited the wounded at
hospitals and directed security men to speed up the investigations to
find out the motives of the slain attacker.
The assailant opened fire on members of the Lebanese band as they
boarded a vehicle after performing a concert near the Roman
Amphitheatre. He later turned the gun on himself.
Officials said that the concert was not part of the Jordan
Festival, which opened on July 8 and was due to run through August 9.
The festival initially drew sharp criticism from the Jordan
Artists Association (JAA) which urged other Arab artists to boycott
the event, alleging that it could be held to promote 'normalization'
with Israel.
But the JAA dropped its reservations when King Abdullah II
intervened, lashing out at those who 'follow rumours.'
The critics of the festival, including the Islamic-led opposition
and trade unions, said the event was arranged by the French firm,
Publicis Groupe, which also supervised Israel's 60th anniversary
celebrations in mid-May.
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