Nahed Hattar, a Jordanian writer charged with offending Islam with a satirical cartoon he shared on Facebook, has been shot dead outside court in Amman.
The suspected gunman, identified by authorities as Riad Abdullah, 49, gave himself up to police shortly after the shooting. According to security sources, he was "known as an extremist", the Jordan Times says.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The PM was the first one who incited against Nahed when he ordered his arrest and put him on trial for sharing the cartoon," Saad Hattar said. "That ignited the public against him and led to his killing."
Hattar was detained in August for 15 days on charges of insulting God, after he published the cartoon depicting "a bearded man lying in bed with two women and smoking, asking God to bring him a drink", the BBC says.
Hattar had defended the cartoon, saying it was not his intention to insult Islam but to expose how Isis "envisions God and heaven".
He was a "controversial figure on the left of Jordanian politics", The Guardian says. He had previously been charged with insulting the country's king.
-
Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
-
How coupling up became cringeTalking Point For some younger women, going out with a man – or worse, marrying one – is distinctly uncool
-
The rapid-fire brilliance of Tom StoppardIn the Spotlight The 88-year-old was a playwright of dazzling wit and complex ideas
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
