Police on Saturday announced the arrest of a 26-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a police officer a day earlier during an altercation with police in Irbid that left another man dead.
Friday's incident originated when a group of people attempted to prevent the police officers from arresting the suspect, Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib said.
The suspect, who was not identified by officials, reportedly stabbed a corporal in the neck after being cornered in a neighbourhood in Irbid on Friday night, Khatib said. "The suspect was wanted on 21 criminal charges and was being chased by a police unit when he went to a neighbourhood that housed many of his friends, including some with criminal records," he added. As the group scuffled with police, a bystander was shot and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, according to the PSD spokesperson.
The official said a specialised unit combed the area and arrested the suspect in an apartment in Irbid without any further incident, adding that the PSD has opened an investigation into the incident and formed a committee to investigate the source of the bullet which killed the bystander.
"We are still investigating the incident to determine who killed the victim and if it was the police, we will surely declare our responsibility in this incident," Khatib said. Meanwhile, he said, the injured police officer is in hospital in critical condition. "The victim's neck was slashed with a knife that the suspect used to free himself and he underwent several operations," Khatib explained.
