Suspects shoot at Sahab mayor’s vehicles, home

AMMAN — Police on Sunday said they were searching for unidentified individuals who earlier in the day shot at the vehicles of Sahab Mayor Abbas Maharmeh.

No one was injured in the incident that occurred at 1am in Sahab, some 22km southeast of Amman, according to Maharmeh and Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi. 

“We are following up on the incident but have made no arrests so far,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Maharmeh told The Jordan Times that he was awoken at around 1am by the sound of bullets very close to his house.

“I believe it came from an automatic rifle and hit two vehicles, while some bullets struck the entrance of my home,” the mayor said.

Maharmeh added that “he received a threat earlier in the month by individuals following a drug raid by the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND).”

“We have been very active in Sahab, and carried out several activities to combat drug trafficking. It seems that this has angered some individuals who first sent me verbal threats and yesterday shot at my house,” Maharmeh said.

In mid-November, AND arrested 13 suspected drug dealers and addicts in raids on nine houses in Sahab. The raids resulted in the confiscation of guns, automatic rifles, money earned from illicit drug transactions and various illegal narcotics.

The Sahab mayor said he was hopeful that police will make some arrests.

“We have a description of the vehicle from witnesses and some cameras in the area.  We hope that will help the police in arresting the perpetrators,” Maharmeh added.