Relatives and friends of the Jordanian writer Maher Hattar hold pictures of him during a sit-in in the town of Al-Fuheis, near Amman, Jordan, Sept. 25, 2016. The Jordanian writer who published a cartoon that some claimed to be insulting to God was shot down Sunday. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)
AMMAN, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Jordanian writer who published a cartoon that some claimed to be insulting to God was shot down Sunday.
Maher Hattar, a Christian, republished a cartoon recently that depicts God in heaven.
The cartoon showed a bearded man surrounded by two women.
The cartoon caused an outrage in Jordan and authorities detained Hattar in August on charge of inciting racism and sectarianism and insulting religious beliefs.
He later apologized and said he was referring to what the terrorist Islamic State members think of as a God in the cartoon.
"Hattar was killed as he was entering the court for trial," a security source told Xinhua Sunday.
The gunman was arrested.
Security sources said the gunman is a Jordanian and was known to be an extremist.
The gunman said he killed Hattar for republishing the cartoon, according to initial investigation by the authorities.
