Jordanian lawmaker arrested after parliament shooting incident

9/10/2013

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian authorities arrested a veteran lawmaker today soon after he opened fire on a colleague inside the parliament building in Amman.

Security officials said that authorities detained the deputy — who cannot be named for legal reasons — moments after he opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.

Witnesses told dpa that the incident, in which nobody was injured, came one week after a heated argument between the two during a parliamentary session.

Soon after arriving in parliament, the accused deputy returned to his car outside the building, retrieved an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle and proceeded to his colleague’s office, where he fired multiple rounds.

Authorities managed to quickly restrain him, security sources said.

The deputy has been referred to the general prosecutor and faces charges of attempted murder, a security source said.

In March, a lawmaker attempted to draw a pistol during a parliament session that witnessed a heated debate over corruption in the government. In July 2012, a lawmaker pulled a gun on a rival during a televised debate.