Twelve injured in Irbid festive firing

AMMAN — Twelve people on Saturday were injured in a festive firing at a wedding party in Irbid's Bani Kenanah region, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

A source at Yarmouk Hospital told Petra that the hospital's cadres administered first aid to the injured, before sending some of them to other hospitals for further treatment. Security agents arrested the alleged shooter and initiated an investigation. 

In 2015, the Public Security Department announced strict measures against those who take part in festive firing, with the department pledging to arrest any person who owns a gun without a licence or fires weapons for any occasion.

In 2015, 35 people were arrested and 33 weapons seized in cases of festive firing, according to official figures. The judiciary has introduced stiffer penalties to curb festive shooting and started charging perpetrators with manslaughter and attempted murder.

Individuals convicted of causing death by festive firing face up to 20 years in prison, and in cases of multiple fatalities, the shooter could be sentenced to life in prison.