Australians have been urged to exercise a high degree of caution in Jordan following a shooting incident against foreign tourists, according to a travel advisory of the Australian government on Wednesday.

A lone gunman shot at a group of foreign tourists and their tour guide close to the Roman ruins in downtown Amman Monday, killing one person and injuring six.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) reissued its travel advisory for Jordan on Wednesday, but remaining the alert level at "exercise a high degree of caution," which is in the middle of the five levels.

Mentioning the shooting incident, DFAT advised Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Jordan because of the high threat of terrorist attack.

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks in Jordan against Westerners and places frequented by Westerners," it said.

It also mentioned the terrorist suicide attacks on 9 November 2005 against three international hotels in the capital, Amman, which killed and injured many people, including foreigners.

"Tourist hotels throughout Jordan, in particular in Amman, Aqaba, the Dead Sea and other resort areas, are potential targets for attack," it said.

"A public statement, purportedly by the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, has suggested that Al Qaeda's targets in Jordan might include a number of places frequented by foreigners, including tourist hotels, embassies and consulates, as well as Jordanian government sites," it said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2006)