<p>A gunman today killed prominent Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar outside a court where he was facing charges for sharing a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam, state news agency Petra reported.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Hattar was struck by three bullets before the assailant was arrested, said Petra. Witnesses told AFP that a man had opened fire in front of the court in Amman's Abdali district.<br /><br />The 56-year-old Christian was arrested on August 13 after posting a cartoon mocking jihadists on his Facebook account.<br /><br />He was charged with inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islam before being released on bail in early September.<br /><br />Jordan's attorney general had imposed a blackout on media coverage of the case.<br /><br />Hattar removed the cartoon from his Facebook page after it triggered outrage on social media.<br /><br />Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and was the target of a June 21 suicide bombing that killed seven border guards.<br /><br />The kingdom has carried out air strikes targeting IS jihadists and hosts coalition troops on its territory. </p>
<p>A gunman today killed prominent Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar outside a court where he was facing charges for sharing a cartoon deemed offensive to Islam, state news agency Petra reported.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Hattar was struck by three bullets before the assailant was arrested, said Petra. Witnesses told AFP that a man had opened fire in front of the court in Amman's Abdali district.<br /><br />The 56-year-old Christian was arrested on August 13 after posting a cartoon mocking jihadists on his Facebook account.<br /><br />He was charged with inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islam before being released on bail in early September.<br /><br />Jordan's attorney general had imposed a blackout on media coverage of the case.<br /><br />Hattar removed the cartoon from his Facebook page after it triggered outrage on social media.<br /><br />Jordan is a leading member of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, and was the target of a June 21 suicide bombing that killed seven border guards.<br /><br />The kingdom has carried out air strikes targeting IS jihadists and hosts coalition troops on its territory. </p>