Jordanian security forces rounded up scores of political activists today in a nationwide huntfor the killer of a senior U.S. diplomat.
"There is a wide-scale security sweep taking place as partof our hunt for the perpetrators," one security official toldReuters, referring to the killing of U.S. diplomatFoley by unknown assailants on Monday.
A gunman shot 60-year old Laurence Foley, a senior administrator atthe U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), threetimes in the chest outside his Amman home on Monday.
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Amman told journalistsWashington's Middle East envoy William Burns was expected inAmman on Wednesday to accompany Foley's body, lying in a statemorgue since Monday, back to the United States along with theslain diplomat's family.
It was the first killing of a Western diplomat in Jordan andcame amid rising anti-American sentiment in the region, fuelledby perceived U.S. bias towards Israel and threats by Washingtonof a military campaign against neighbouring Iraq.
Islamist sources also said that Muslim fundamentalist leaderAbu Sayaff from the southern town of Maan, a traditionalstronghold of Muslim extremists, was injured during a shoot-outas he tried to escape arrest during the security sweep.
Opposition sources said the sweep targeted suspects acrossthe country in refugee camps, various neighbourhoods in thecapital Amman and major cities including Maan.
Jordan usually mounts extensive sweeps after every majorsecurity incident, detaining Muslim fundamentalists and radicalswho have been previously held for questioning or served prisonsentences for anti-government activity.London-based Arabic daily al-Quds al-Arabi published astatement by an unknown group called Shurafa al-Urdon or theHonourables of Jordan claiming responsibility for the attack toavenge U.S. strikes in Afghanistan and Washington's unwaveringsupport of Israel against Palestinians.
Police and paramilitary units in the capital Amman set uproadblocks on main city roads after the shooting. Security wasstepped up at state institutions and ministries, and Westernembassies posted extra guards and beefed up patrols.
New security measures were imposed at the fortress-like U.S.embassy.