Horrific attack on 16-year-old boy leaves nation in shock

AMMAN — Outrage, fear and sadness gripped social media after a 16-year-old boy was brutally attacked by a group of men who gouged his eyes and chopped his hands in Zarqa on Tuesday.

The Public Security Directorate (PSD)on Wednesday said that it had arrested the main suspect and five of his accomplices, and seized the sharp tools used in the crime and two guns in possession of the suspects.

The PSD also said that the case and all suspects will be referred to the State Security Court after the end of the investigation. 

The Arabic hashtags, which translate into #execute_zarqa_criminals, #Zarqa_crime, #King_follows_up, and #zarqa_child, have went viral on Tuesday and Wednesday on social media platforms after reports about the heinous crime emerged.

The boy was transferred to Zarqa Government Hospital, and was listed in poor condition. The boy said that a group of people had took him to an uninhabited area and attacked him in revenge for a murder committed by one of his relatives, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

At the time, the Public Security Directorate (PSD) spokesperson said that investigations have begun to identify the perpetrators and warned against sharing the video related to the assault, stressing that circulating the video would constitute a violation of the law.

On Wednesday, the PSD spokesperson said that police identified the person who shot and shared the video of the crime, noting that he was referred to the prosecutor general, Petra reported.

The prosecutor ordered the suspect detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre for a week for violating Article 11 of the Cybercrime Law and privacy of others by using a video equipment, in accordance with the Penal Code, Petra added.

Also on Wednesday,  UNICEF issued a statement condemning the attack.

“We are shocked and saddened by the horrific violence perpetrated against a 16-year old child in Zarqa. Violence against children is never acceptable. It is an epidemic that is as dangerous to society as COVID-19,” UNICEF Jordan Representative Tanya Chapuisat said in the statement.

Appalled by the inhumanity of the culprits, many citizens took to social media to voice their anger and sadness.

"This harshness and monstrosity, and the desire for revenge, only exist in people who do not belong to humanity except by form. If there were penalties and laws that actually deter people from doing such things, they would not have dared commit such horrendous crimes," Reman Alhajjaj wrote on Facebook.

"A clear negligence in enforcing laws led people to bully others like this, why does such a young child have to suffer? Their hands should be cut off and their eyes should be gouged out for what they have done," Saeed Thiyab wrote. 

"This inhumanity is much worse, much dangerous and way more painful than any virus in the world," Aya Alhani commented on the news. 

Many social media users called for the culprits to be sentenced to death while others attempted to launch fundraisers for his treatment and his cause.