After previously describing the incident as a “tragic misunderstanding,” Jordanian government officials have since admitted that al-Tawaiha did not follow their military’s rules of engagement. “His majesty’s letters of condolences will be delivered to the families soon,” a spokeswoman for the Jordanian Embassy told The Washington Post in April, adding that “the Jordanian government will do everything to ensure that justice is enacted fully.” But, after viewing surveillance footage of the shooting, Jim Moriarty, the father of one of the U.S. soldiers, told The Post he was unwilling to accept anything less than “an admission of total guilt and plans for prosecution for the murderer.”

While the victims’ families received their desired verdict on Monday, questions remains as to why al-Tawaiha felt compelled to shoot. A Jordanian investigation has ruled out any potential ties to terrorist organizations, which could have qualified al-Tawaiha for the death penalty. Meanwhile, al-Tawaiha insists he had “no intention of killing anyone” and harbors no animosity toward Americans. “I have all the respect for the king, but I was doing my job,” he said following the verdict. Still, some international experts argue that the shooting was not only intentional, but premeditated.

November’s incident was not the first time Americans have been killed by a Jordanian officer. In 2015, a Jordanian police captain attacked the Jordan International Police Training Center on the outskirts of Amman, killing at least five people, including two U.S. government employees. Jordan, a key American ally in the fight against ISIS, is home to around 2,200 U.S. military personnel. In the wake of the attack, Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the wounded at a hospital in Amman amid criticism that his government had responded poorly to the incident.

While Monday’s court case proceeded contradictory claims from the Jordanian and U.S. governments, it seems to have done little to alter the stability of U.S.-Jordanian relations. Following the verdict, Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said Jordan would remain “a strategic partner” of the U.S. “We are reassured to see that the perpetrator has been brought to justice,” Davis said, adding: “We appreciate the Jordanian court’s access that was provided to us and to the families of the victims, as well as the expediency and seriousness of the court proceedings.”

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