A Canadian female tourist is among at least seven people killed by gunmen in and around a medieval castle in southern Jordan, officials say.<br /><br /> Two Jordanians are also said to have been killed.<br /><br /> According to local authorities, the assailants shot dead at least four police officers in an attack on a nearby police station, before blocking themselves inside the crusader-era citadel in the mountainous city of Karak. Several people are believed to have been injured.<br /><br /> A number of people trapped inside were later reported to have been freed. Foreign tourists were said to be among them.<br /><br /> The identity of the gunmen is unknown. Police are reported to have stormed the castle in search of them.<br /><br /> Jordan’s public security directorate issued a statement saying:<br />“Police and security forces have surrounded the castle and its vicinity and launched an operation to hunt down the gunmen.”<br /><br /> The nation is a close ally of the United States. It forms part of the US-led coalition fighting the ISIL jihadist group in Iraq and Syria, prompting the militants to threaten to “break down” Jordan’s borders.<br />
