Man who stabbed tourists in Jordan's historic Jerash sentenced to death

Hadrian’s Arch, the entry-way to one of Jordan’s most visited tourist sites. Taylor Luck for The National

A man has been sentenced to death for stabbing eight people at the Roman ruins in Jordan's Jerash city in 2019.

The attack at one of Jordan's most visited sites wounded three Mexicans and one Swiss national, as well as several Jordanians. The Mexican tourists and a Jordanian police officer were in serious condition after the attack, but have since recovered.

A Jordanian security court sentenced two other men in connection with the attack to seven and 20 years in prison. A military judge read the sentences in footage broadcast by a state television station.

The court sentenced the primary suspect with “hanging until death” for the stabbing and for "attempting to join an armed group and terrorist organisations".

The authorities did not release the name of the man but he is widely believed to be from a Palestinian refugee camp near Jerash.

Jerash, 51 kilometres from Amman, draws thousands of visitors a year to its ancient city, the country’s largest Roman site. The area has been inhabited on and off since the first millennium BC.

Tourism was a major source of employment in Jordan before the coronavirus pandemic, and the government said the attacker was inspired by militant groups that have targeted high-profile sites in the past. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, tourism accounted for almost 20 per cent of Jordan's GDP.