Shots fired in air in Jordan after parliament votes out MP

Gunmen fired shots in the air in an Amman suburb on Sunday after parliament voted to expel a Jordanian lawmaker who had riled against power cuts and called for protests, a security source says.

The early evening unrest came a day after four police officers were wounded in clashes with supporters of MP Oussama al-Ajarma in the Naour suburb in southern Amman.

“Security forces are facing new riots and a group of people have opened fire in the air in Naour,” the source is quoted as saying on Al-Mamlaka state television.

Security forces deployed reinforcements in the district and set up checkpoints around Amman to “arrest those who violate the law,” the source adds.

The unrest came after parliament voted Sunday to exclude Ajarma, 40.

Ajarma had demanded a debate on electricity cuts in Amman and other districts on May 21, accusing the government of deliberately cutting power to forestall a protest march by Jordanian tribes in support of the Palestinian cause.