Irbid police searching for suspects in late night vandalism attacks

AMMAN — Irbid police are searching for unknown individuals who on Sunday night broke the windows of 10 vehicles in a neighbourhood in the northern governorate, official sources said.

Residence of Mutalee neighbourhood in Barha town woke up late at night after hearing people screaming and glass being broken, Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

“Several witnesses informed us that they saw individuals carrying rocks and sticks attacking several parked vehicles in the neighbourhood,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

He said nothing was stolen from the vehicles and “no one was arrested in the incident”.

“We are still questioning witnesses and gathering evidence to identify the perpetrators and their motives,” the police official said.

Irbid, some 80km north of Amman and which has a population of around 1.8 million, witnessed similar attacks on vehicles and kiosks in February in the northern towns of Malka and Um Qais.

Three people were arrested in the Malka attacks on vehicles and a kiosk on February 3 and they reportedly confessed to being under the influence of alcohol, Irbid Police Department Director Brig. Gen. Ali Hamlan told The Jordan Times at the time.

Hamlan said in February that the attacks were not related and on Monday, Sartawi also ruled out that Sunday’s attacks were related to the February attacks in Malka and Um Qais.