Christians Under Attack

Five other tourists were injured - two British women as well as tourists from New Zealand, the Netherlands and Australia. The gunman was arrested.

Militants have carried out a series of attacks in Jordan. Sixty people were killed in three suicide bomb attacks on hotels in November 2005.

Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez said the gunman had been arrested and was now being questioned. He said it was not clear yet whether the gunman was acting alone or was a member of any group.

"We as a government and people... regret the incident and hope it is a one-off which will not affect our tourism or security situation," Mr Fayez said.

Overpowered

The attack took place at 1230 local time (0930 GMT).

Aftermath in pictures

Eyewitnesses said the attacker, said to be a Jordanian, approached the tourists shouting "God is great" in Arabic before firing at least 12 shots at the small group of tourists.

When his ammunition ran out, the gunman fled into the crowds before being arrested, eyewitnesses said.

The BBC's John Leyne, in Amman, says local people joined in the struggle to overpower him.

The area surrounding the Roman amphitheatre has been sealed off and anti-terrorist police are patrolling the site.

British tourists visiting Jordan are warned by the UK Foreign Office of a "high threat of terrorism", with Westerners being a particular target. Jordan's tourist trade has been badly hit by reaction to the conflict in Lebanon, although tour operators say it remains popular with more adventurous travellers.

The amphitheatre, cut into a steep hill in the centre of Amman, is the Jordanian capital's top tourist attraction.

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Are you in Amman? Were you there or have you been affected by the incident? If so, send us your story using the form below.

My family were at the Roman amphitheatre during the attacks. I was extremely worried for them and all Jordanian people who have had their lives once again threatened by this horrible terror. My country deserves better than this.
Hasan Kalaji, Dubai, UAE

I am a German expert for Heritage Conservation, working at the Department of Antiquities in Amman. The Roman Theatre is one of our sites and I am shocked at this development. Right now we are working on Site Management plans; one component is security. After this attack it is even more important to protect visitors from all possible terror actions. We are deeply concerned and sorrowful about this attack in the name of Allah.
Wolfgang Koellisch, Amman, Jordan

My partner is on a tour group out there. They were going to go to the ruins but decided to go to a mosque instead. She's now in a nearby town and says that police are swarming everywhere. In Jordan they're reporting it as gang warfare between two drug dealers...
Paul, United Kingdom

I'm a computer engineer. I heard the shots while coming from Zarqa east of Amman to my work, but it was not easy to park my car, I thought it was a local citizen fighting, but when the news spread I read it in the BBC I was shocked because we suffer too much from terrorists attacks here in Amman. Me and all Jordanian citizens condemn and express disapproval of such irresponsible personal act, and kindly let me express my sympathy for the lost tourist and may God help the five injured. Khaled M A SaouB.
Khamed M A SaouB, Amman

I have also just returned from a local English language teaching center where all employees (American and non-American) have been told that due to a security emergency, no activities at the center will be taking place until further notice. The information I received was that several Americans were shot at and killed in downtown... so there just seems to be some misinformation out here in Amman right now. In the last 45 minutes I have heard 2 ambulances go by. Amman is generally a very safe place to live, work and travel in for foreigners, single women...you name it. This sort of violence doesn't solve anything, just creates more problems for everyone...Jordanians and foreigners alike.
M.K., Amman, Jordan

During the attack I was near the Roman theatre when suddenly all roads got blocked by police. There was chaos while no one knew what was going on. After experiencing the last attack on the hotels also from close range I am now happy to leave soon. Still, it is a pity for this beautiful country, which is really open-minded towards the Europeans and Americans, that the terrorists target.
Nils Pawlik, Amman Jordan

I am a journalist and part-time employee at one of the NGO language training centres here in Amman. It was obvious something was wrong when classes were suddenly cancelled on Monday afternoon. The news soon surfaced on the internet. In light of a recent al-Qaeda "call for conversion" and the anniversary of 9/11 just days away, it looks like another tense week in the Middle East, even here in Amman.
Jibril Hambel, Amman, Jordan

POSTED BY BBC