'Gunman' killed, 12 police hurt in Jordan fuel hike protest

AMMAN (AFP) - A "gunman" was killed early Thursday and 12 Jordanian policemen were wounded after their station came under attack in the north amid a wave of angry protests across the country over a huge rise in fuel prices.

"Twelve policemen were injured when a group of gunmen attacked a police station in Irbid. One of the gunmen died in a shootout, while four others were wounded," said a police statement carried by state-run Petra news agency.

The incident came a day after rioting and clashes erupted in Amman and other cities, including Irbid, and at least one other police station attacked.

The statement said that in a separate attack in Shafa Badran, near Amman, "gunmen, using automatic weapons, shot and injured a policeman, directly hitting one of his eyes. He is in a critical condition."