Jordan: policeman shoots dead US officers and a South African

Two American training officers and one South African have been killed by a Jordanian policeman who opened fire at a military training centre in the capital Amman.

The gunman died at the scene after wounding two other Americans and four Jordanian nationals, according to government spokesman Mohammad Mommani.

The attack occurred at the US-funded Jordan International Police Training Centre, where Jordanian and Iraqi soldiers are trained by international instructors.

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"It is yet not known whether the shooting was because of a dispute between the policeman and the contractors," a source told the Jordan Times.

The US embassy in Amman said it had received reports of security breach at the centre, but did not offer further details.

The timing of the attack "immediately raised questions" about whether there was a link to the terrorist attack which occurred in Amman exactly 10 years ago, the New York Times reports.

On 9 November 2005, a series of coordinated suicide bombs tore through hotels in the capital, killing dozens of people and injuring more than 100. Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.