A security source was cited in local press as saying on Friday that “outlaws” also opened fire from rooftops on police and used burning tires to block off roads in the city center on Thursday.

Police reportedly responded to the protest efforts with tear gas.

According to the source, “other assailants” were back on the streets and "threw petrol bombs at government buildings" early on Friday, setting fire to two state offices.

"Firefighters were unable to respond because the outlaws had blocked off the roads," the official source further noted.

This is while Interior Minister Hussein al-Majali told the Jordanian cabinet on Thursday that five policemen had been wounded since the trouble began.
 
The violence first erupted Sunday night when gunmen reportedly opened fire at police officers guarding a courthouse in Maan, seriously wounding one of them.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the shooting in the impoverished city.

Jordanian security forces opened an investigation into the incident and launched a manhunt for the gunmen, triggering riots in the city, according to a security source.

During one security operation on Tuesday a 20-year-old man was killed in clashes with policemen outside his home, witnesses said.

The following day, angry residents blocked roads while others torched three banks and a tax office, and gunmen fired on police and other government buildings, local reports added.

Last June, 13 men were charged with carrying out "terrorist" acts for their alleged roles in rioting over a double murder in the city.

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