A fuel injector for a common rail fuel system includes an energizer section, an injector section, and control section axially disposed along an injector axis. To control and injection event, the control section includes a control orifice manifold that has a plurality of control orifices and control passages to distribute high pressure fuel with the injector assembly. To prevent plugging of the control orifices and passages, an internal filter element with a plurality of filtration orifices is located in proximity to the control orifice manifold.