Jordanians Attack 5 Italian Journalists; One Hospitalized

An Italian journalist was hospitalized Friday after he and four colleagues were attacked by a large crowd of pro-Iraqi youths, one of the group said.

Lilli Gruber, a reporter with Italian state television RAI, said she and four other Italians were punched and kicked when they went to Jordanian army reserve headquarters Thursday to report on youths who were trying to sign up for duty after the U.S.-led bombing raids of Iraq.

Gruber said police hustled the journalists through the crowd into a barracks as the youths struck out at them chanting, “Americans, Americans.” They were driven to safety lying on the floor of an ambulance escorted by police vehicles.

Eric Salerno of the Rome newspaper Il Messaggero had rib, head and face injuries. He was visited in the hospital Friday by Jordan’s Queen Noor, Gruber said. She and the others sustained bruises.

Anti-Western feeling, particularly against the media, is running high in Jordan. King Hussein this week appealed to his subjects not to turn their wrath on foreigners.