Gunman who killed UK tourist claims he is 'blessed'

A JORDANIAN accused of killing a British man, after opening fire on tourists in Amman's Roman amphitheatre, insisted in court yesterday that God "blesses" him for the attack, saying the British are enemies of Islam.

Prosecutors say Nabeel Ahmed Issa al-Jaourah fired a pistol at Western tourists at the historic site in September, while shouting, "Allahu akbar", or "God is great".

Christopher Stokes, 30, an accountant from Greater Manchester, died in the attack, and five people from Australia, Britain, the Netherlands and New Zealand, as well as a Jordanian tourist police officer, were wounded.

"God blessed me when I killed a British man and hurt others, because they are fighting the Prophet and his soldiers since Balfour Declaration," al-Jaourah told the military court, referring to the 1917 document by the British government which promised support for the creation of a Jewish homeland.

"The British people ... insulted the honourable Koran and women who wear the head cover," said al-Jaourah, who is a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian origin. He was apparently referring to comments in October by House of Commons leader Jack Straw, who said he believes that face-covering Muslim veils inhibit communication.

Al-Jaourah has pleaded innocent to murder charges. But after his comments, the prosecutor said he had confessed and urged the court "to hand him the harshest punishment."

Al-Jaourah faces a possible death sentence by hanging if convicted. The trial resumes in a week.

The 4 September shooting was a rare attack on tourists in Jordan. Prosecutors have said al-Jaourah was acting alone and had no links to terrorist groups.

In recent years, Jordan has carried out a string of trials against suspected terror cells operating in the country, which is sandwiched between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iraq war.