Obama taking Jordan attack ‘very seriously,’ officials say US government workers killed

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said the U.S. was taking “very seriously” a deadly attack in Jordan on Monday, and American officials said two of those killed in the attack were U.S. government employees.

Details about the incident at a police compound remained murky, with U.S. officials still working to determine what happened and how many were killed. Obama said the attacker was wearing a military uniform and killed two or three Americans, although the State Department put the figure at two.

The U.S. Embassy in Amman said two Americans injured in the attack were also U.S. government workers. All were part of a State Department police training program, said a U.S. official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

“We take this very seriously and will be working closely with the Jordanians to determine exactly what happened,” Obama said during a previously scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said a full investigation was under way and offered condolences to the families of those killed.

Condemning the incident, the U.S. Embassy said it was “premature to speculate on motive.” The embassy said it wasn’t changing its security posture.