Journalist Diab's Murder Motivated by 'Personal Disputes,' Four Arrested

Four people were arrested over the killing of Lebanese journalist Mazen Diab in Jordan, the neighbouring country's Public Security announced on Saturday, noting that the murder was motivated by a personal dispute between the victim and one of the assailants.

Jordan's Public Security Directorate Media Center stated on Saturday that “the ambiguity surrounding the discovery of Diab's body has been unveiled, and four people were arrested for their involvement in committing the crime.”

After inspecting the scene of the crime and collecting all evidence, an investigative team was formed to follow-up on the case and uncover its circumstances, said the Media Center.

The team included members of the Criminal Investigation Department and the police of the southern Amman region.

"In 24 hours, the investigative team managed to place four people under suspicion and they were all arrested,” also according to the Media Center.

They all confessed to committing the crime, citing “personal disagreements between Diab and one of the assailants” as a cause for murdering the journalist.

The Media Center noted that this particular assailant was introduced to Diab via the latter's radio program, but then disagreements arose between the two which led the suspect to seek the help of the three others and assassinate the Lebanese national.

They described how they executed their crime: “They entered the victim's house, tied Diab and hit him. Then they took all his communication devices to hide evidence as well as other possessions.”

The stolen possessions were seized and the case was referred to the Criminal Prosecution, according to the Public Security Directorate's statement.

"The assailants tied the victim, hit him and tried to strangle him,” the Directorate's Media Center said after inspecting the body.

But the forensic doctor later confirmed that the death was caused by bleeding that resulted from the spleen's damage after it hit a solid block.

Diab, 31, presented a program on Jordan's Sawt al-Ghad radio station before his death. He suffered from lung cancer and had underwent an operation to remove a part of his lungs a year ago.

A video of the journalist went viral after his death on social media websites in which he was asked whether he fears death. Diab then answered that he "fears those surrounding him."

S.D.B.