Hattar shooter ‘was acting alone’, police say

AMMAN — The committee investigating the killing of writer Nahed Hattar has concluded that the suspected shooter was acting alone, according to the Public Security Department’s (PSD) media centre.

The PSD said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Monday that the committee had concluded its investigation on Sunday and referred all its findings to the prosecutor.

The suspect told investigators he was acting alone in response to a cartoon shared by Hattar on social media that he believed was “offensive” to religious beliefs. 

An examination of the suspected shooter’s computer and other devices confirmed he had no accomplices, the statement added.

The suspect was ordered detained at the Marka Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre for 14 days pending further investigation, the statement said, adding that the Criminal Court prosecutor charged the man with premeditated murder and decided to refer him to the State Security Court on terrorism charges.

Amnesty International on Monday condemned the “deplorable murder” of Hattar as “an alarming attack on freedom of expression”.