U.S. diplomat shot and killed outside house in Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan -- An American diplomat was assassinated Monday in front of his house, gunned down by eight pistol shots in the first such targeted attack on a U.S. diplomat in decades. The killing appeared aimed at undermining a key ally increasingly under pressure as Washington prepares for a showdown with Iraq.

Laurence Foley, a 60-year-old administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, was walking to his car when a single gunman opened fire, police said. The gunman -- and likely accomplices -- escaped.

U.S. and Jordanian officials said it was too early to tell whether the attack was terrorist-related. There were no suspects and no one claimed responsibility.

A Jordanian police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the killing appeared to have been carried out by professionals who had been following Foley for some time to determine his schedule.

'Remain vigilant'

The killing stunned the estimated 3,000-strong American community in Jordan, which generally considers Amman safe, despite occasional warnings of security threats.

Security was immediately increased at embassies and diplomatic missions. In an unusual scene for Amman, red beret-clad special forces riding jeeps mounted with machine-guns escorted diplomatic vehicles through the city.

The U.S. Embassy warned Americans to "remain vigilant."

At a news conference, U.S. Ambassador Edward Gnehm condemned the shooting as a "cowardly, criminal act" but refused to call it terrorist-related.

Foley, recently honored for 37 years of "superior" service, had been working on projects to deliver clean drinking water and health care to poor Jordanians and provide loans to small businesses.

His voice breaking several times, Gnehm described the former Peace Corps volunteer as "a man who dedicated his life to improving the lives of others."

Worked for Peace Corps

Foley, a native of Boston and father of three, worked for the Peace Corps in India and the Philippines and carried out USAID assignments in Bolivia, Peru, Zimbabwe and Jordan.

Gnehm said there had been no threats or warnings and denied that security had been lax outside the fortress-like walls of the sprawling embassy compound.

The killing of an American official shocked Jordan's pro-Western government, which has maintained close ties to Washington despite rising public anger over U.S. support for Israel and preparations for war against neighboring Iraq.

Anti-American demonstrations are less common and smaller here than in other Arab capitals, and usually tied to protests against Israel.

"We are all sad for his killing because he and his wife were a nice couple and everybody liked them in the neighborhood," said one veiled woman, who gave her name only as Um-Ayman.

Another Jordanian neighbor, Um-Saeed Sbeih, said Foley and his wife would walk their dog every day and always wave and greet them in Arabic.