Israeli security guard leaves Amman

By Laith al-Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan

An Israeli security guard at the center of a shooting incident in Amman left for home after recording his testimony, Jordan’s foreign affairs minister confirmed on Tuesday.

"Jordan took testimony of the Israeli diplomat with the consent of his country before he left for Israel," Ayman Safadi told a news conference held in the Jordanian capital.

On Sunday evening, an Israeli security guard shot dead two Jordanian workers in a residential building for Israeli embassy staff, after he was stabbed by one of them with a screwdriver.

According to Jordan’s official news agency, a dispute erupted between one of the Jordanian men, who was also a carpenter, and the guard over a delay in delivering furniture to an Israeli embassy employee who lived in the building.

“The altercation escalated to a physical confrontation where the carpenter attacked and injured the Israeli diplomat who in turn shot the carpenter and the apartment's owner,” Petra reported.

Safadi added that Jordan was committed to getting to the bottom of what happened.

He said a crime had been committed, and the law would take its course.

Meanwhile, Israel asked its embassy staff to return home on Tuesday, despite resistance from Jordanian lawmakers and the public.