He said the attack might lead to more security precautions in facilities where foreigners are present, but that it was unlikely to affect Jordan’s close security ties with the West, particularly the U.S.
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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the the two contractors killed by the gunman worked for DynCorp global, which conducts worldwide security training, under a USA program.
A police officer is said to have opened fire on foreign trainers at a police compound, killing the South African, two Americans and two Jordanians before he was gunned down by security forces.
The assault coincided with the 10-year anniversary of one of the worst attacks in Jordan’s history, when suicide bombers at three hotels in Amman killed more than 50 people on November 9, 2005.
The Reuters news agency initially cited American government sources as saying that at least 8 people had been killed, but Jordanian authorities issued a denial, saying the death toll remained at 5.
The training facility was set up on the outskirts of the capital Amman after the 2003 USA invasion of Iraq to help rebuild the shattered country’s post-war security forces and to train Palestinian Authority police officers.
Contractors from elsewhere, including the U.S., work with Jordanian police trainers at the centre. Four Jordanians and one Lebanese citizen were wounded. A full investigation is ongoing.
There has been concern that militants could carry out revenge attacks on Jordanian soil.
The Jordan Times reports that the unidentified attacker was shot dead but did not commit suicide as suggested in earlier reports.
Two other Americans were wounded in the attack. In Washington, President Barack Obama said the attacker was dressed in a military uniform.
Later on Monday, His Majesty King Abdullah visited those who were injured at the King Hussein Medical City, a Royal Court statement said.
The pilot’s murder sparked global outrage and was described by a senior Jordanian official as a “turning point” in the kingdom’s fight against IS.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official, because he was not authorized to brief the media, added eight people died in the attack, however, Momani would only confirm five.
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It has since trained tens of thousands of Iraqi, Palestinian and Afghani police officers, and earlier this year Jordan announced that former Libyan rebels would also be trained there.
