Jordan Training Camp Shooting: Military Officer Kills 2 Americans, Wounds Others Near Amman

UPDATE: 12:56 p.m. EST -- Eight people died in an attack Monday on a police training facility in Amman, Jordan, and another six people were injured, three government sources said Monday, according to a Reuters news report. The gunman’s motive remained immediately unknown.

Original story:

A Jordanian military officer opened fire Monday in a U.S.-funded facility for training Iraqi and Palestinian security forces on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan, killing 2 Americans and wounding others, according to reports. A South African was also killed.

The assailant was killed by his fellow officers, government spokesman Mohammad Momani said. Earlier reports indicated that the attacker committed suicide after the shooting spree.

The facility was a U.S.-funded police training camp in Muwaqqar, in eastern Amman, which hosts mainly Palestinian and Iraqi officers. U.S. contractors are sent to the facility to help train police, the BBC reported.

The gunman has not yet been identified. The attack coincides with the 10th anniversary of a series of coordinated attacks on three hotels in Amman, Jordan. The 2005 bombings left at least 60 people dead and injured some 115 others.

The U.S. Embassy in Jordan said it had received reports about the security incident, and was in contact with Jordanian authorities.

Jordan hosts hundreds of U.S. trainers in a program meant to help improve Jordan’s defenses. Jordan is considered a key U.S. ally, especially as the Islamic State group, also known by ISIS, continues to spread in Iraq and Syria.

A source told Al Arabiya news channel that one of the victims was a U.S. military trainer.

This is a developing story.