Police: Rumours slow hunt for policeman’s killer

AMMAN – The Public Security Department (PSD) on Monday said that rumours and inaccurate information circulated by some media outlets and the public have hampered the investigation process to arrest the killer of police officer Khaled Bani Mfarrej.

Bani Mfarrej, a warrant officer from the Criminal Investigation Department, was shot and killed in Jabal Amman when his patrol responded to sightings of a person “acting suspiciously” in the area.

The patrol tried to stop the man to check his identification card, at which point he suddenly started shooting at the policemen.

The warrant officer died instantly, while his partner, who is a second lieutenant, was injured and he was reported in fair condition. 

The PSD media office issued a statement Monday urging media outlets and the public to stop circulating any news related to the crime, adding that the PSD would inform the public on any developments it deems necessary, while maintaining the right to keep certain aspects of the probe confidential. 

The statement said that the information recently circulated by some electronic websites and the public on social media networks caused confusion among Jordanians and pushed the killer to take extra precautions. 

The leaks on investigations that were published have harmed the efforts of police officers who are working to identify the perpetrator, said the statement. 

On Sunday, some media outlets published news claiming police were surrounding the area between Amman’s 3rd and 4th circles while searching for the man who shot Bani Mfarrej. 

Some electronic websites and social media users also circulated a photo of a man whom they said looked identical to the killer.