AMMAN, Jordan -- A prominent and outspoken Jordanian writer on Sunday was shot dead in front of the courthouse where he had been on trial for his online posting of a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam.
The writer, Nahed Hattar, 56, was shot three times. A suspect was arrested near the scene, according to the official Petra news agency.
Hattar, who considered himself an atheist, was arrested in August and charged with inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islam after sharing a cartoon on Facebook that showed a bearded man in bed with two women. In the cartoon, the man orders God to bring him some wine and cashews after God asks, "Do you need anything?" All physical depictions of God or the Prophet Muhammad are forbidden under mainstream Islamic tradition.
Hattar's post -- titled "the God of Daesh," another name for the Islamic State extremist group -- was widely denounced on social media, and he removed it shortly after he posted it. He later deactivated his Facebook account and released an apology that said he "did not mean to offend anyone." The apology, using another name for the Islamic State, also said the cartoon "mocks ISIS terrorists and their concept of heaven." He was held for two weeks and released on bail earlier this month.
A Jordanian security official said the shooter was a former imam, or prayer leader, at a local mosque, and that the man had been motivated by his anger over the cartoon.
Witnesses and police said Hattar was preparing to enter the courthouse for a hearing when the gunman shot him at close range.
"He was standing at a short distance of about [3 feet] in front of Nahed on the stairs of the Supreme Court," a witness said on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions.
The witness said the shooter, who was immediately arrested, was wearing a gray robe and long beard.
Jordanian media, citing anonymous officials, identified the shooter as Riad Abdullah, 49. The reports said Abdullah had recently returned from a trip abroad, but gave no further details.
The security official declined to confirm the suspect's name. But he said the suspect had confessed to the shooting and claimed he had acted alone and had no connections to any militant group.
Prosecutors charged the man with premeditated murder, committing a deadly terrorist act and possession of an unlicensed weapon. The suspect was detained for 15 days while the case was referred to the State Security Court.
Government spokesman Mohammad Momani condemned the killing as a "heinous crime."
"The government will strike with an iron hand all those who exploit this crime to broadcast speeches of hatred to our community," he told the Petra agency.
The Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, also condemned the killing, as did civil organizations and labor unions.
But supporters of Hattar said they held the government responsible for the shooting, accusing Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki of creating a hostile atmosphere that encouraged violence against the writer.
"The prime minister was the first one who incited against Nahed when he ordered his arrest and put him on trial for sharing the cartoon, and that ignited the public against him and led to his killing," said Saad Hattar, a cousin of the writer.
At the family meeting hall in Amman where photos labeling Hattar a martyr were stacked at the entrance door, family members consoled one another. Some scrolled through their mobile phones trying to find more information about the assailant.
The writer's wife, Randa Kakish-Hattar, said she had tried two days ago to persuade Hattar to leave Jordan, but he refused.
"His two children saw him shot and killed before their eyes," she said. "And for what? For sharing a cartoon on Facebook?"
Hattar's younger brother Majed, 51, was with him when he was attacked and still had blood on his clothes and shoes. Majed Hattar said he had chased the gunman and caught him by holding his beard.
According to Saif Hattar, 48, another cousin, "This happened despite the government knowing that Nahed is a prominent person, that he received hundreds of death threats."
"We will not accept the body of the martyr, and there will be no funerals until we claim our rights. It's very wrong what happened today," the cousin said.
"Nahed apologized about the cartoon," he added. "It was misunderstood. We believe the ISIS poisonous mentality were the cause of this, but the government failed to protect him."
Hattar has long been a controversial figure in Jordan. Years ago, he claimed that King Hussein had arrested and tortured him many times for his critical writings. He vowed not to mourn the king, who died in 1999.
He was a strong supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad and an outspoken critic of the Islamic State militant group and al-Qaida.
Jordan, a U.S. ally, has long presented itself as a realm of tolerance and stability in an increasingly volatile region. The Muslim Brotherhood, outlawed in Egypt, was allowed through its political wing to take part in parliamentary elections last week. The Islamic Action Front won several seats, as did 20 women, a record for Jordan.
But the country has been shaken by the Syrian civil war raging just over its northern border, and the government has struggled to accommodate hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the violence.
Hundreds of Jordanians have been sentenced to prison, are awaiting trial or are being held for questioning about links to the Islamic State. Under toughened anti-terror laws, even liking or sharing the group's propaganda on social media can land someone a prison sentence.
But on Sunday, social media accounts of prominent Islamists in Jordan and elsewhere were celebrating Hattar's death, saying he deserved it for blasphemy.
Anja Wehler-Schoek, resident director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Jordan, said she found the social media posts "shocking." The German foundation promotes democracy and political education in the region.
"This is clearly a very dark day for Jordan, which has long been celebrated as a model of peaceful co-existence," she said. "I am very worried we are seeing the end of an era here."
Information for this article was contributed by Khetam Malkawi and Mohammed Daraghmeh of The Associated Press; by Rana F. Sweis and Deborah Acosta of The New York Times; and by William Booth of The Washington Post.
A Section on 09/26/2016