AMMAN, Jordan - Jordanian authorities arrested a man accused of killing his 30-year-old sister on suspicion that she had a love affair, even though he had earlier signed a pledge to the police that he would not harm her, a police official said on Thursday. The crime, which took place in the eastern industrial city of Zarqa on Wednesday, brings to eight the total number of women killed since January in what is known as “honour crimes.”An average of 20 women are killed by male relatives each year in Jordan.
The police official said the suspect allegedly sprayed his sister with seven bullets in broad daylight and fled the crime scene. The woman died instantly of her wounds, the official said. She had been under police protection for 15 days and was allowed to go home the day she was killed, after her father and brother pledged not to harm her. “The brother ignored his signed oath and shot her in cold blood on their way home,” the official said.
A young boy nearby heard the gunshots and found the woman lying in the street, covered with blood, with some empty shells near her body.
The brother, in his mid-20s, was arrested shortly afterward and later confessed to his crime. He is to stand trial soon at JordanÂ’s criminal court. His name and that of his victim were not revealed.