Several charged for 'revenge' mutilation of Jordan boy

Jordan's public prosecutor has charged several people after a 16-year-old boy had his eyes gouged and hands partly sliced off in an apparent revenge act that has shocked the Arab kingdom.

The mutilation was carried out Tuesday in Zarqa, a centre of Islamic conservatism northeast of the capital Amman, after a group kidnapped the boy, allegedly in retribution against the boy's father, who is in custody accused of murder.

Judicial authorities have warned social media users against sharing a video of the assault.

Outraged Jordanians have called for those responsible to face the death penalty, after security forces said this week they had arrested the main perpetrator along with five other suspects.

Official news agency Petra reported Friday that the prosecutor has charged an unspecified number of defendants with kidnapping and attempted murder.

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King Abdullah II ordered the boy's transfer to Amman's King Hussein Medical Centre, where he has reportedly undergone eye surgery and treatment to fit prosthetics, and called for the strongest legal measures against those responsible.

Queen Rania termed the attack "an unspeakable atrocity in every respect".

"How can we undo this heinous crime? How can we mend your parents' shattered hearts? How can we keep our children safe from the brutality of criminals who lack the most basic morals?" she wrote on Facebook.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh has visited the boy in hospital and said the case would be dealt with "firmly and according to the rule of law".