Jordan- Five arrested in alleged attack on journalist 

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Police on Wednesday said they had arrested five people in connection with an alleged assault on a journalist and her husband in a mall in Aqaba a day earlier.

Jordan News Agency, Petra, reporter Hanan Kafaween was shopping with her husband at a supermarket in one of the malls in the port city, 330 kilometres south of Amman, when an argument ensued while they were checking out, an official source said.

"I was standing in line with my husband and the employees at the checkout counters asked us to move from one line to the other and they became very hostile with us," Kafaween told The Jordan Times.

The journalist, who is receiving treatment in hospital for a broken arm, added that she had noticed an odd colour on some of the meat displayed at the supermarket and notified one of the employees.

"When we finished our shopping, they kept asking us to move from one line to the next and eventually informed us that they did not want to sell us anything," she added.

A heated argument ensued between some of the employees and her husband, which turned into a fistfight, according to Kafaween.

"My husband received a blow to the head that required 12 stitches. We are still at the hospital and are expected to be discharged tomorrow," she added.

Public Security Department Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib said the five people arrested in connection with the incident had been referred to the judiciary for further questioning.

Petra published a statement on Wednesday quoting the agency's director general, Feisal Shboul, as condemning the attack and saying that he was following up on the assault with the relevant authorities.

Minister of Media Affairs and Communications and Government Spokesperson Samih Maaytah condemned the attack and said that "the perpetrators should get the proper legal punishment", according to Petra.