Man surrenders himself to police over deaths of four Jordanian officers

Authorities say he belonged to a "terrorist cell" behind the killings during unrest last year

The coffin of Col Abdul Razzaq Dalabeeh during his funeral in Jarash, north of Amman, 16 December 2022. EPA

A man wanted for his alleged involvement in the killing of four Jordanian police officers last year during unrest triggered by rising fuel costs has turned himself in.

The man was believed to be part of an 11-member “terrorist cell” behind the killing of senior police officer Col Abdul Razzaq Dalabeeh during riots in the southern city of Maan in December after the government raised fuel prices.

Days later, three more police personnel were killed in a raid attempting to apprehend suspects involved in killing the officer.

“He is being interrogated in preparation for referring him to the judiciary,” a police spokesman said on Tuesday.

The trial of seven members of the suspected cell began in Amman last month. A closed security court charged them with terror offences.

Three days ago, one of the 11 members of the suspected cell was killed by security forces in southern Jordan after he escaped from prison. It was not clear if he was also being tried.

The area of southern Jordan that surrounds Maan is populated mainly by tribes who have traditionally underpinned support for the Hashemite monarchy that has ruled Jordan since it was established as a British protectorate in 1921.