// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did 1998 say to Amman? You killed the vibe.
| 1998 Amman murders | |
|---|---|
| Location | Amman, Jordan |
| Date | 10 June 1998 c. 0:00 – c. 2:00 (AST) |
| Target | Al-Qashash family and classmate |
| Weapon | Pistol |
| Deaths | 12 |
| Perpetrator | Saeed al-Qashash |
| Motive | Familial pressure over performance at school |
| Convictions | Murder x12 |
On 10 June 1998, twelve people were killed in a mass shooting in Amman, Jordan. Eleven of the dead were members of the Qashash family. A relative, 19-year-old Saeed al-Qashash (Arabic: سعيد القشاش; also spelled Sa'id al-Qashash), was arrested two days later for the murders, confessing that he had committed the crime to avoid pressure over his academic performance. He was found guilty of murder and executed in 1999.
The murders caused widespread shock in Jordan, which has nationally low crime rates.[1][2] It was the deadliest familicide in modern Jordanian history.[3]
Murders
[edit]On 10 June 1998, between 12:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.,[4] Saeed al-Qashash killed his parents, six siblings (aged 10 to 30), a brother-in-law, a nephew, a niece, and a classmate at the Qashash family home in the Abu Alanda area southeast of Amman. Five of the victims were children and all of them were shot in the back of the head.[4][5][6] Investigators first assumed that Qashash had lured each victim into the basement to be killed shortly after they arrived at the residence,[7] though he later stated that he first murdered his mother Thuria as she was working in the kitchen.[3][4] The final victim was Atta Shalan, a close friend of Qashash.[8]
Afterwards, Qashash called his the workplace of his father Amin, telling them that he would be unable to attend his shift as a school bus driver due to illness.[4] He then piled up the bodies and covered them in blankets and carpet. He then used his brother-in-law's car to drive to the market to buy bricks and cement, which he used to wall-in the bodies into the basement.[2][5][9] At 14:00, Qashash informed another relative of the murders, claiming he had spent the night at a friend's house studying and discovered the crime scene upon returning in the morning. Qashash and the relative then informed police.[4] Qashash was found suspicious as the sole surviving member of his family and arrested two days later, confessing to the murders in police custody.[5][8][10]
Motive
[edit]Qashash had failed his last year of high school in 1997 and recently completed the first of two Tawjihi repeat exams. His father had repeatedly threatened to throw Qashash out of the house in case of failure.[4][5] The Associated Press reported that the other family members and his friend Atta Shalan had "all harassed him about his failures in school".[9][11] Qashash had stolen his father's 7 mm[3] pistol the week prior to the attack and bought 25 bullets in preparation for the murders.[5]
Victims
[edit]- Thuria al-Qashash (ثريا القشاش), 50, mother
- Amin al-Qashash (أمين القشاش), 57, father
- Mohammed al-Qashash (محمد القشاش), brother
- Mostafa al-Qashash (مصطفى القشاش), brother
- Karimeh al-Qashash (كريمة القشاش), sister
- Wafa al-Qashash (وفاء القشاش), sister
- Mervit al-Qashash (ميرفت القشاش), sister
- Insaf al-Qashash (إنصاف القشاش), sister
- Jamal al-Turk (جمال الترك), husband of Insaf, brother-in-law
- Zaid al-Turk (زيد الترك), 3, son of Insaf and Jamal, nephew
- Hanna al-Turk (هناء الترك), 2, daughter of Insaf and Jamal, niece
- Atta al-Shalan (عطا الشعلان), 19, classmate
Trial and execution
[edit]On 30 November 1998, Qashash was convicted of 12 counts of premeditated murder following a one-day trial. He pleaded with Judge Mohammed Ajamieh to spare his life, but was sentenced to death. Qashash did not react to the sentence.[11]
Qashash's death sentence was opposed by Amnesty International, which urged Crown Prince Hassan bin Talal to commute the sentence.[12]
Qashash was executed by hanging on 6 June 1999 at Swaqa Prison, about 60 miles south of Amman.[2][11] In his last statement, made minutes before the execution, Qashash asked for forgiveness and apologised for the murders. He was formally declared dead at 6:00 a.m. on 7 June. His body was not accepted by other relatives, who asked government authorities to handle the burial.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "ليندا.. الصحافية التي أبكت الرأي العام". موقع عمان نت (in Arabic). 2 June 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- 1 2 3 "Jordanian Man Who Killed 12 Hanged". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- 1 2 3 "تعددت الأسباب والقتل واحد: حصيلة موجعة لعقد من الجرائم". www.al-sijill.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Abu Hilalah, Yasser (13 June 1998). "الأردن : طالب في الثانوية يعترف بقتل جميع أفراد عائلته". Al-Hayat. p. 1.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Exam pressure drives teen to kill family". The Straits Times. 14 June 1998. p. 6.
- ↑ "من اشهر جرائم القتل في الاردن". سعورس. 2 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022.
- ↑ "Teen gunned down 12 in his family". The New Paper. 13 June 1998. p. 29.
- 1 2 3 "Al Qashash executed – The Star (Amman, Jordan)". 6 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- 1 2 "Killer gets death sentence". independent. December 1998. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "اردني يعترف بقتل افراد عائلته بسبب الامتحانات". As-Safir (in Arabic). 13 June 1998.
- 1 2 3 "Murderer of 12 Who Teased Him About School Failure Given Death". Tehran Times. 30 November 1998. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ↑ "Jordan: Death penalty: Sa'id al-Qashash". Amnesty International. 11 December 1998.
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