Police kill two ‘dangerous suspects’ in Maan; four officers injured

AMMAN — Two wanted men died in Maan on Monday during a raid carried out by security forces to capture four outlaws. 

Speaking to the press, Interior Ministry Spokesperson Ziad Zu'bi said the security operation targeted four outlaws wanted for several crimes, “who instilled fear among people and fired at public buildings”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The four wanted men, including three brothers, were classified as “highly dangerous”, and the operation started at dawn and was over at 9am, he pointed out. 

As the security contingent got closer to the house where the suspects were holed up, a landmine exploded and critically injured a member of the security force.  

Zu'bi, who described the policeman's condition as critical, said the landmine was planted by the men, who exchanged fire with the security force and injured three other security members using automatic rifles and hand grenades. He described the condition of the three policemen as stable. 

Zu'bi indicated that the suspects had been given more than a chance to hand in themselves to the police for justice to take its course, but to no avail.

The issue of the outlaws has been in the news for months. They were the remaining suspects wanted from a group of 19. The rest have turned themselves in to authorities with the mediation of Maan community leaders. 

“They have continued to defy the law and security forces for more than a year now,” the official told reporters. 

Policemen found several RPGs, Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades as they searched the house after the operation. 

The official did not reveal the fate of the other two, but local news reports said a third suspect was at large, while the fourth was injured and being treated. 

Zu'bi asserted that the Interior Ministry would not hesitate to take any action to enforce the law.

The raid came weeks after three top security officials were replaced on the backdrop of their “failure” to manage key security files, including that of Maan, which observers have been citing as an example of authorities’ inability to enforce the law on all.