AMMAN — Maan police director Brig. Gen. Aref Wishah, who was shot in the stomach on Friday during a confrontation with armed suspects, was recovering in hospital on Saturday, official sources said.

Wishah was leading a police force that had cornered three wanted suspects in a house, when they fired on them with automatic weapons, a senior Public Security Department (PSD) official said.

“Wishah was struck in the stomach and foot and rushed to Maan Public Hospital for treatment. He was later transferred to the King Hussein Medical Centre for further treatment,” the source said.

The Maan police director was listed in good condition but it was not clear when he would leave the hospital, the source added.

“The three suspects remain at large and we are searching for them,” the source told The Jordan Times.

Later on Friday, His Majesty King Abdullah delegated Royal Court Chief Riyad Abu Karaki to check on Wishah in hospital, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Minister of Interior Mohammad Al Raoud also visited Wishah and stressed the need to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

A parliamentary delegation also visited the injured officer on Saturday, Petra reported, while the Lower House and the Islamic Centrist Party issued statements condemning the attack on Wishah and calling on the government to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

In an unrelated incident in the Jordan Valley, PSD officials said they were searching for a vehicle that had refused to stop at a checkpoint and struck two police officers.

“The two officers were part of a patrol unit that stops vehicles for routine checks,” a senior police official said.

The driver of the vehicle refused to pull over, hit the two officers and then fled the scene, the source added.

Both police officers are in good condition, according to the source.

“We have a good description of the vehicle and its driver, who is wanted on several criminal offences, and we will arrest him for sure,” the source added.