AMMAN: Jordanian Public Security Department, or PSD, said on Sunday that three men wanted on terrorism charges were killed in an exchange of fire with police on the kingdom’s southeastern borders.

PSD said that two of the three men killed in a police shootout on Saturday were inmates who had recently escaped from a rehabilitation center.

The third man was a member of the “Al-Husseiniya cell” and a “most wanted” fugitive who was involved in the killing of Col. Abdul Razzaq Al-Dalabeeh on Dec. 16 last year in the southern city of Maan, which was rocked by demonstrations against increasing fuel prices.

Amer Sartawi, PSD spokesperson, said that police had identified the hideout of the escaped inmates in a remote area with rough topography on the Kingdom’s southeastern borders with Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

After being surrounded by trained security forces, the escaped prisoners fired automatic guns at police, who then returned fire and killed them all, Sartawi said.

The identities of the wanted men were revealed through DNA tests and family members, Sartawi said, adding that an investigation was underway into the inmates’ prison escape.

Al-Dalabeeh, deputy police chief of Maan, was shot in the head while officers responded to rioters in Al-Husseiniya.

Three days later, on Dec. 19, three more officers — Cap. Ghaith Rahahleh, 2nd Lt. Mutaz Najada, and Cpl. Ibrahim Shaqarin — were killed during a raid on the hideout of suspects believed to be responsible for Dalabeeh’s death.

PSD said at the time that one of the suspects, a “militant who embraced the takfiri radical ideology,” was killed during the operation and nine others were arrested.

Visiting the condolence house of Al-Dalabeeh’s tribe, Jordanian King Abdullah vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, affirming that violence against the state, vandalism of public property and violating Jordanians’ rights would be dealt with firmly.

He said that assaults and acts of vandalism were “dangerous threats to national security,” adding: “We will not tolerate violence against our security personnel, who work day and night to protect Jordan and Jordanians.”

The nine suspects arrested in the operation in December recently stood trial at the State Security Court.

One of them was tried in absentia and believed to among those killed in the manhunt operation, PSD announced on Sunday.

The suspects are facing a long list of charges, including the orchestration of terrorist acts, being members of an organization with the objective of committing terrorist acts against Jordan’s citizens, possessing weapons with the intention to carry out terrorist activities, and being part of terrorist, armed factions.

They are also accused of conspiring to undertake acts of terror and propagating the philosophies of a terrorist organization.

The eight suspects who appeared in court entered pleas of not guilty, and defense lawyers submitted their arguments.

The southern cities of Maan, Tafileh and Karak have seen sporadic strikes and sit-ins by truck drivers protesting about increased fuel prices.

Police said that some of the strikes turned violent with protesters attacking public buildings and security forces.