Search under way for missing Irbid resident

AMMAN — An Irbid resident, who went missing last week, is believed to be still alive, according to the police and his relatives.

Retired Police Major Hussam Obeidat, 47, was supposed to meet his wife at a hospital in Irbid at 1pm on Tuesday but he never showed up, according to a close relative of Obeidat.

“A taxi driver who took him from his home said that Hussam asked him to be taken to different locations and eventually headed to the bus stop in downtown Irbid,” the relative told The Jordan Times.

Since then, the relative added, “he has been missing and his mobile is turned off.”

The police and Obeidat’s relatives launched a search operation in which police sniffer dogs were also used, according to Public Security Department Spokesperson Major Amer Sartawi.

“Hussam was spotted by many people in several locations during the past few days, which gives us an indication that he is still alive,” the relative said.

The relative added that the search will continue until the retired traffic police officer is found.

Sartawi told The Jordan Times that “police are hopeful that Hussam Obeidat is alive and that he will be found soon.”

“We will continue the search and have alerted all police stations and border crossings about him,” the police official said.