AMMAN — Criminal Court Prosecutor Ramzi Nawayseh on Monday charged a 28-year-old man with two counts of premeditated murder of his two brothers in Karak earlier in the day, official sources said.

The suspect, who was not identified by officials, reportedly shot his two brothers, aged 31 and 32, following an argument at their home in the southern city’s Rabia suburb at dawn on Monday, a senior official source said.

The suspect then headed to the nearest police station and turned himself in to the officers on duty and handed them his “unlicensed” gun.

“The suspect told police officers that he had killed his brothers and in doing so had reclaimed his rights,” the source said quoting the suspect’s initial testimony at the police station.

A second source who is close to the investigation told The Jordan Times that the “suspect claimed that the two victims had been abusing him in many ways so he decided to buy a gun to protect himself”.

“On Monday morning an argument arose between the three siblings and the suspect shot his two brothers to death,” the source said.

Neighbours saw the suspect leaving his family’s house in Karak, 140km south of Amman, with a cigarette in his hand shortly after gunshots were heard in the neighbourhood, another source told The Jordan Times.

Pathologist Iwad Tarawneh headed a team of forensic experts that performed an autopsy on the victims and extracted nine bullets from the two bodies.

Tarawneh and his team concluded that both victims died as a result of bullets that struck their hearts. Additionally, both were shot in the stomach, back and chest, according to the pathologists’ reports.

The victims are survived by four siblings and their parents, according to the source.

Nawayseh issued orders for the suspect to be detained at the Jweideh Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre for 15 days pending further investigation into the case.

Also Monday, police said they arrested a man who attempted to blow himself up using gas cylinders at his home in an east Amman suburb after resisting arrest, Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib said.

The suspect was wanted in connection with several cases and a police patrol attempted to arrest him but he resisted, ran over a police officer and fled to his house, according to Khatib.

“The man threatened to blow himself up and brought two gas cylinders which he opened after negotiations with the police failed,” the police official explained.

Khatib added that police contacted the Civil Defence Department (CDD) and CDD personnel “sprayed water and soap at the suspect to prevent him from blowing up his house and injuring his neighbours”.

“The suspect was arrested without any major incidents and referred to the concerned authorities for further questioning,” Khatib said.

The police officer who was injured in the incident was hospitalised and is recovering, he added.