Rioters set fire to a Jordanian police station on Tuesday in the southern city of Ma’an, in a second day of demonstrations over the death of an arrested teenager named Suliman Fanatfeh, according to AFP.
Ma’an residents said the young person, whom they described as an Islamist, had been the victim of police cruelty. One man, who wished to speak under conditions of anonymity, said a photograph of Osama bin Laden had been found in Fanatfeh's pocket when he was arrested.
The youngster was buried on Tuesday, after residents expressed fears that there would be further violence, as some Islamists were objecting to the burial before the matter was settled.
The initial riots broke out Monday following the death of this 17-year-old boy, who had been arrested on January 14 after a fight.
Shortly after his detention, police saw he was suffering from "extreme exhaustion" and sent him to Ma’an hospital, which later transferred him to Amman's al-Bashir hospital, where he died on Saturday, according to an Interior Ministry statement.
Monday night, rioters tried unsuccessfully to burn up the police station in clashes with police, which residents declared lasted for five hours and only ended at dawn. However, fire was set to some cars, including those of the local governor and security chief, according to officials.
On Tuesday, hundreds stormed the police headquarters, which also houses the post office, where police had barricaded themselves inside, and threw burning tires at the building. "The building housing the police offices and the town's post office is on fire after having been attacked with burning tires thrown by demonstrators," according to an eyewitness.
Gunfire broke out, but witnesses were unable to say who had fired. "The police are firing tear gas canisters, while the protestors are throwing stones," one witness told AFP.
Inquiries have been opened with regards to these incidents, with the intent of arresting those responsible. (Albawaba.com)
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