Jordan riots: Policeman shot in face, rioter killed, firebombs

The second night of riots in Jordan may have more far-reaching implications than Israel's actions in Gaza.

The riots started yesterday in reaction to government ending fuel subsidies. But both the rioters and Jordanian police have turned violent:

Riots renewed in the southern governorate of Karak Wednesday evening with protesters clashing with anti-riot police and torched the old governor house.

Public Security Department (PSD) media center said that protesters placed burning tires in the abandoned governor home, adding that protesters used Molotov cocktail and improvised incendiary weapons against gendarmerie forces, who used tear gas to disperse crowds.

The protest in Karak witnessed harsh slogans against the government, and critical chants against King Abdullah II.

One gendarmerie policeman is in critical condition in the intensive care unit after being shot by unidentified assailants late Wednesday night in Shafa Badran district in Amman.

The policeman, a corporal, received a gunshot wound to his face when unknown assailants fired gunshots in a drive-by shooting at the police station using automatic weapons.

In Irbid, north of Jordan, one citizen was killed and 16 others were injured, including 12 policeman, PSD said.

A security station in Al Wasatiyah district in Irbid was attacked, reportedly by an armed group late Wednesday night who attempted to storm into it.

Clashes erupted between police and the rioters, leading to the injury of 12 security personnel and four of the attackers.

One member of the armed group was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital, after sustaining fatal wounds, PSD added.

Just as in Egypt, it looks like the Islamists are fanning the flames from a distance, but poised to swoop in as soon as it appears that the ruler is going to fall.

The situation might literally explode in the coming days.