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Relatives of policeman who killed five contractors ‘in shock’

By Mohammad Ghazal - Nov 11,2015 - Last updated at Nov 11,2015

Suleiman Saed (centre), a relative of Anwar Abu Zaid, speaks to the media in Amman on Tuesday (AP photo by Raad Adayleh)

AMMAN — Relatives of the Jordanian police officer who shot dead five contractors on Monday — two Americans, two Jordanians and a South African — on Tuesday said he was an observant Muslim and not affiliated with any radical groups.  

“My brother was not a radical person. He was pious. Like any other observant Muslim, he prayed five times a day, performed Hajj and umra [greater and lesser pilgrimages to Mecca] and memorised the holy Koran,” Fadi, 29-year-old Captain Anwar Abu Zaid’s eldest brother, told The Jordan Times.

“There was nothing wrong with my brother and we refuse to receive his body until we know the truth behind the incident,” Fadi said over the phone.

Police said Monday that Anwar shot dead five contractors working with the Public Security Department and injured six people before being killed.

Fadi noted that the last time he saw Anwar was on Sunday at around 10pm and he did not notice “anything wrong” with his brother.

“Anwar came to my house after returning from work, as he lives next door. It was a very lovely gathering. We had coffee, laughed, cracked jokes. He hugged my daughters, played with them and gave them some money. He always does that when he visits me,” Fadi recalled. 

Anwar, he said, is survived by two boys named Ahmad and Abdel Rahman. He lived in the village of Rimoun in Jerash Governorate, some 48km north of Amman.

“On Monday, he prayed at the mosque and headed to work as usual,” Fadi added, noting that his brother was fasting.

Fadi said Anwar told him a few days ago that he wanted to retire and look for a job in Saudi Arabia.

“He wanted to improve his financial condition, especially since some of his colleagues had already retired and found better opportunities in Saudi Arabia. My brother also told me that he wanted to pursue higher studies... My brother had no affiliations at all with any radical group. He moved up the police ranks and was a successful person who loved his work and family. Now that he is dead, we don’t know what really happened… He didn’t have psychological problems,” Fadi said, adding that his mother was extremely saddened by the news.

Other relatives of Anwar expressed shock over the incident.

“Anwar was a very kind and successful person. Last time I saw him was at the mosque, when he greeted me after fajr (dawn) prayer and left for work,” Mohammad, a cousin of the dead police officer, told The Jordan Times.

“All his relatives and acquaintances knew that he was a very good person. May his soul rest in peace. We are shocked about the news,” he said.

Commenting on the incident, US President Barack Obama said on Monday that the US is taking the attack that killed “two or three” American citizens “very seriously”.

 

“Obviously a full investigation is taking place,” Obama said during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We take this very seriously, and we’ll be working closely with the Jordanians to determine exactly what happened.”

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