Newspaper employee reportedly kills himself

AMMAN — Police on Wednesday said a 54-year-old accountant at a daily newspaper reportedly took his own life earlier in the day while at work.

The man reportedly shot himself while in the prayer room of the newspaper on Wednesday morning, Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“Our initial investigations indicated that the victim took his own life, and foul play was ruled out,” the police official told The Jordan Times.

Sartawi also commented on an incident that occurred on Tuesday night, when a 23-year-old woman allegedly “took her own life while in the bathroom of a restaurant in the Hashemi Shamali suburb”.

The victim was found dangling from a window in the restaurant’s bathroom with a scarf wrapped around her neck, according to Sartawi and forensic investigators who examined the scene.

“We are ruling out foul play as well in this incident, and it is evident from our investigations that the victim took her own life,” Sartawi added.

He said that neither of the two victims “left any note, but we are treating both incidents as suicide”.

A senior judicial source told The Jordan Times that the Criminal Court prosecutor on duty was not summoned by police for either of the two incidents.

“Usually, Criminal Court prosecutors are called to a scene by police when there is a suspicion of murder. Police ruled out foul play in both incidents,” the judicial source said.

A senior medical official said that autopsies will be conducted for the two cases on Thursday.

“One body was taken to Al Bashir Hospital, and the other to the Jordan University Hospital, and teams of government physicians will perform the autopsies,” the medical official told The Jordan Times.

Also on Wednesday, a man attempted to take his own life in Aqaba, some 330km south of Amman, Sartawi said.

“The man was in his car and apparently shot himself in the head. His condition is critical,” the police official said.

The motive for the shooting is still being investigated, according to Sartawi.