Jordanian security forces have arrested 70 Islamists after violent protests in which nearly 100 people were injured, most of them policemen, a security official told AFP yesterday.

The suspects, members of the ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Salafist movement, were detained during raids last Friday in the town of Zarqa and nearby Rassifeh, hours after Islamist protesters attacked police, the official said.

Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit accused the Islamists of belonging to an armed organisation, and said his government would take a tough line against rioters.

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