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Think Our Cable Chat Shows Are Raucous? In Jordan They Pull Guns

That headline may seem familiar. It's borrowed from a post we wrote last month about an altercation on a Greek TV show. We're reprising the title, because a Jordanian television talk show has seen that altercation and raised it by a gun.

Here's how Abu Dhabi's The National describes the incident:

"Things became heated between Mohammed Shawabka, a sitting MP, and Mansur Murad, a former MP and activist, while they were debating the Syrian situation on the satellite channel Jo Sat.

"Mr Shawabka accused Mr Murad of being a spy in the pay of the Syrian regime; then Mr Murad claimed Mr Shawabka was a Mossad agent and a thief. Mr Shawabka first threw his shoe at Mr Murad, who dodged with aplomb, and then pulled a gun. Furniture toppled as the show's host desperately tried to separate the two. And then the credits rolled."

Here's video with BBC narration:

The AP reports that Shawabka is now under investigation. According to a prosecutor, the fact that the incident involved a gun could mean Shawabka could face serious charges.

The wire service spoke to the show's host.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Mohammed Habashna said. "It was like the Wild West, but we needed horses in the studio."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.