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By JAMAL HALABY, Associated Press Writer AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - An American diplomat was gunned down in a hail of bullets outside his home Monday in the Jordanian capital, U.S. and Jordanian officials said.
The U.S. Embassy identified the victim as Laurence Foley, an employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development mission in Jordan, which handles foreign aid and humanitarian programs.
While Jordan is officially allied with the United States, anti-American sentiment has been rising with public opposition to a threatened U.S. attack on Iraq, Jordan's eastern neighbor. The kingdom's 1994 peace treaty with Israel also has made it a target for Muslim militants and terrorist groups.
Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Affash Adwan would not speculate on whether terrorists were involved, but called the attack "an aggression on Jordan and its national security."
Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher went to the U.S. Embassy to express condolences and promised swift action to catch the perpetrator.
"The Jordanian government is going to deal seriously with this horrible crime," the Jordanian news agency Petra quoted him as saying.
The gunman escaped and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The U.S. Embassy said in a statement that U.S. authorities "are working closely with Jordanian officials to investigate this horrible crime." The embassy warned Americans to "remain vigilant."
Security was immediately increased at embassies and diplomatic missions. In an unusual scene for Amman, red beret-clad special forces riding machine-gun equipped jeeps escorted diplomatic vehicles through the city.
Foley, 62, was shot at least seven times in the head and chest as he approached his car at 7:30 a.m., according to a senior Jordanian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The bullets came from a 7 mm pistol, he said.
Foley was killed instantly, Adwan said.
While initial reports spoke of "gunmen," the official said the preliminary
investigation indicated that one gunman, working with accomplices, killed Foley.
Preliminary autopsy results indicated the bullets came from one gun.
Jordanian security officials said Foley's wife called police after the attack
outside his house in a middle-class district of Amman.
Police swarmed the scene, searching for fingerprints and other evidence.
Jordan is known for its tight security, but several attacks have been
directed against Israelis in Amman and along the Jordanian-Israel border. Jordan
and Egypt are the two Arab states having peace treaties with Israel.
One Israeli businessman was shot and killed last year in the same
neighborhood as Foley, and two Israeli diplomats were wounded by gunshots in
2000.
On Sept. 27, the U.S. government said had received uncorroborated information
indicating that, as of this summer, a member of Osama bin Laden (news
- web
sites)'s al-Qaida terror network was considering a plan to kidnap U.S.
citizens in Jordan.
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said then that the government
could not determine whether the threat was credible or when it would be
implemented.
But the U.S. Embassy in Jordan notified Americans to be vigilant, and renewed
that warning Monday.
Two years ago, a group of 28 Arab men plotted to use poison gas and
explosives in attacks against Americans and Israelis in hotels and tourist sites
during New Year celebrations here. The plot was uncovered and foiled in November
1999. The Mulindwas
communication group
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