Wanted suspect from Maan turns himself in

AMMAN — A wanted suspect from Maan turned himself in to authorities on Sunday, following a meeting between Interior Minister Salameh Hammad and tribal leaders from the southern governorate.

At the meeting, held by the Maan Public Security Department (PSD), Hammad said the Kingdom's stability would not have been achieved without the high sense of responsibility Jordanian citizens enjoy, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister said he viewed the meeting as a chance to meet with Maan residents and check on the demands and needs of the governorate, 220 kilometres south of Amman, at the service and security levels, stressing that all Jordanians share the same concerns. 

PSD Director Maj. Gen. Atef Saudi said Maan residents’ presence at the meeting highlights the unity of Jordanians, praising the joint efforts of the PSD and local community representatives to address security issues in the governorate.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani on Monday said more than 500 tribal leaders from Maan attended the meeting and they were very cooperative.

“All what they wanted is to ensure that their son will be treated properly once he is handed over to the authorities,” Momani said at a press meeting Monday.

“We promised them that he will be treated fairly,” Momani, who attended the meeting in Maan, said, adding that after “we promised that he will be treated in accordance to the law, they brought him”.

The minister also noted that Maan tribes complained that some media outlets exaggerate the news about Maan when they describe it as a “lawless area”. 

Attendees at Sunday’s meeting also discussed issues that concern Maan citizens and the possibility of meeting their demands, especially at the economic, service and security levels, according to Petra.

Maan reportedly witnessed clashes between security agencies and local residents in May and June during operations to arrest wanted suspects.

Two wanted men died in Maan last month during a raid carried out by security forces to capture four outlaws.

Interior Ministry Spokesperson Ziad Zu’bi said at the time that the security operation targeted four outlaws wanted for several crimes, “who instilled fear among people and fired at public buildings”. 

The four wanted men, including three brothers, were classified as “highly dangerous”.

The issue of the outlaws has been in the news for months. They were the remaining wanted suspects from a group of 19. The rest have turned themselves in to authorities with the mediation of Maan community leaders.

The security incidents in the southern governorate were among several reasons that led to changes in the top three security posts in the Kingdom, with interior minister Hussein Majali submitting his resignation and the directors of the PSD and the Gendarmerie Department at the time Gen. Tawfiq Tawalbeh and Maj. Gen. Ahmad Sweilmin being referred to retirement.