Boy throws firecracker into mosque, sparking family fight

AMMAN — A boy threw a firecracker inside a mosque in Zarqa on Saturday night, which sparked a big fight between two families a police officer said Sunday.  

Three men were injured when a man opened fire in Al Hussein neighbourhood in the city of Zarqa, some 22 kilometres east of Amman, according to the police officer, who requested anonymity. 

The boy’s action prompted an area resident, who was in the mosque, to come out and slap him on the face, the officer told The Jordan Times, citing eyewitnesses.

“Later, the incident developed into a huge fight between two families who reside in the same area, where guns were used,” the officer said. 

He added that police surrounded the area immediately and the injured were taken to hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

A search is still under way for the man who opened fire against the three men, according to the police officer. 

He called on parents to watch their children and prevent them from buying firecrackers. 

Children in several Amman neighbourhoods have taken to setting off firecrackers straight after iftar in Ramadan, and usually continue until it is time for suhour, the pre-dawn meal consumed early in the morning before the day-long fast begins.

As of July 29 last year, all firecrackers were banned from entering the domestic market.

At the time, the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology (JISM) warned that any traders found selling fireworks and firecrackers will be referred to specialised courts.

Traders selling fireworks and firecrackers, as well as pellet guns, face four months in prison and a fine of up to JD5,000.

But every year customs agents foil several attempts to smuggle hundreds of cartons of fireworks and firecrackers as importers hide the explosives in containers carrying other products.