Suspect in killing of Jordanian writer named by police

A high-level source in the Jordanian government has told The New Arab that the chief suspect in the killing of controversial writer Nahed Hattar is Riyadh Ismail Ahmed Abdullah, a 49-year-old man from North East Amman.

Abdullah had just returned from the Hajj two days prior to the attack.

The killer had worked until recently as an imam at a mosque in the area of al-Zighateet, but had been dismissed after he made offensive statements against Jordan's top officials.

Police have been deployed outside the suspects home in al-Zighateet in order to protect his family.

Nahed Hattar was shot in the head three times outside a court in Amman this morning by a man wearing a grey thobe and a long beard.

The killing seems to be motivated by an cartoon Hattar shared on Facebook depicting an Islamic State group militant talking to God.

Hattar was a fierce critic of IS and political Islam, and a well-known supporter of Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad.