This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1250
Death toll mounts as global Jihad strikes Jordan
November 9, 2005
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------------------------------------ Suicide bombers hit hotels in Jordan's capital At least 57 people were killed and more than 300 injured last night when al-Qa'eda suicide bombers attacked three hotels in Amman in a devastating attack on the Jordanian capital. The carefully co-ordinated blasts, which came within minutes of each other shortly before 9pm, represented the first major terrorist strikes on the West's key ally in the Middle East.
At least two of the attacks were the work of suicide bombers, who targeted international hotels popular with Western and Israeli tourists and businessmen. Most of the victims were said to be Jordanians, but Americans were believed to be among the dead. The first explosion ripped through the lobby and bar of the Grand Hyatt hotel, cutting through staff and guests alike. It killed seven people instantly. Within minutes an explosive device said to be hidden in a false ceiling at the SAS Radisson hotel blew up, showering shrapnel down on to 300 guests and staff at a wedding reception in a large banqueting hall. "We thought it was fireworks for the wedding but I saw people falling to the ground," said Ahmed, a wedding guest. "I saw blood. There were people killed. It was ugly." The Radisson is popular with Israeli tourists and has been a target of several foiled al-Qa'eda plots in the past, including a conspiracy to attack tourists during the kingdom's Millennium celebrations. The third attack was at the Days Inn hotel. An employee there said the explosion shattered windows, but he was unaware of any casualties. Amid conflicting accounts by police, there was also a suggestion that a car bomb might have been driven into one of the hotels. As police and ambulances rushed to help the hundreds of injured people, security cordons were erected around embassies and streets were sealed off around the city's other hotels. Units of special forces soldiers carried out search operations. The stone entrance of the Grand Hyatt was completely shattered. A unnamed British guest at the hotel said: "It was a miracle that we made it out without a scratch." An American businessman was less fortunate. "Several of my friends have died. The people who carried this out were cowards," he said, refusing to give his name. Local officials suggested the attack was the work of al-Qa'eda. Jordan is the homeland of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qa'eda in Iraq, who was sentenced to death in absentia for the murder of an American diplomat in Amman in 2002. He has threatened to expand his operations outside of Iraq and in August rockets were fired at a navy ship at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba. Despite signing a peace treaty with Israel, which earned it severe criticism from some of the Islamic world's more radical elements, Jordan had escaped the violence seen across the Middle East. Ayman al-Safadi, the editor of Al-Ghad, said: "Finally, the terrorists succeeded in breaking the security in Jordan." King Abdullah last night cut short an official visit to Kazakhstan to return to Amman. He blamed a "deviant and misled group" for the attacks. "The hand of justice will get to the criminals who targeted innocent secure civilians with their cowardly acts," he said. The bombings will be the most serious test yet of King Adbullah's rule as he strives to catch the plotters without fuelling support for Islamic extremism in his country. http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/national/2005/11/09/Ammanblasts_051109.html Co-ordinated attacks kill more than 50 at Jordan hotels Last Updated Wed, 09 Nov 2005 20:16:16 EST CBC NewsAt least 57 people have died and more than 115 have been injured in explosions at three major hotels in Amman, Jordan. The country's deputy prime minister confirmed the numbers. Marwan Muasher said in a CNN interview that one suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding party.
"We have been putting security measures at hotels for some time now. We have been expecting terrorist attacks for some time," said Muasher, who said he had no information on who may have been responsible for the attacks. Muasher said most of the victims were Jordanian. An explosion ripped through the banquet hall of the Radisson Hotel where 300 people were attending a wedding reception. "We thought it was fireworks," said Ahmed, a wedding guest. "[Then] I saw people falling to the ground. I saw blood ... it was ugly." Muasher said the largest number of casualties occurred at the Radisson, which sustained the biggest blast. The Grand Hyatt, the nearby Radisson SAS Hotel and the Days Inn three kilometres away were hit in succession. The hotels have been evacuated. The explosions occurred just before 9 p.m. local time. The deputy prime minister said a car bearing explosives tried to ram into the Days Inn but exploded at a barrier in front of the hotel. Grand Hyatt officials released a statement confirming an explosion occurred in the hotel's lobby but that it couldn't verify the number of dead. The Associated Press quotes a police official who says the attacks "carry the trademark of al-Qaeda." International reaction to the attacks Jordan's King Abdullah has condemned the attacks and announced all government offices and schools will be closed Thursday. Jordan's borders have also been sealed off. The White House has released a statement from U.S. President George W. Bush. "We will offer every possible form of cooperation in investigating these attacks and assisting in efforts to bring these terrorists to justice," said the statement.
New York city police say they are deploying critical response teams around hotels in the city, not because of any specific intelligence but as a reaction to the explosions in Jordan. In a release, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said: "I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and the families." UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on a tour of the Middle East, has cancelled his visit to Amman on Thursday. CNN interviewed a witness who reported the car of Jordan's prime minister, Adnan Badran, could be seen in front of the Grand Hyatt. The Radisson and Hyatt hotels were on the list of targets in a millennium bomb plot. U.S. officials believe it was hatched by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq – and Osama bin Laden's operations chief Abu Zubaydah. The plot was foiled by Jordanian authorities. Abu Zubaydah was captured in March in Faisalabad, Pakistan, in a raid by the CIA, FBI and Pakistani authorities. Al-Zarqawi remains at large. ---------------- http://abcnews.go.com/International/Terrorism/wireStory?id=1302818 Married Couple Among Amman Bombers al-Qaida in Iraq Says Jordan Attacks Were Carried Out by Four Iraqis, Including Husband and Wife The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Web statement Friday in the name of al-Qaida in Iraq claimed the deadly hotel bombings in Jordan were carried out by four Iraqis, including a man and his wife. "All of these are Iraqis from the land between the two rivers," the statement said, alluding to Iraq's ancient name, Mesopotamia. "They vowed to die and they chose the shortest route to receive the blessings of God." The statement could not be authenticated, but it appeared on a site which has included past al-Qaida statements and was signed in the name of the group's spokesman, Abu Maysara al-Iraqi. |
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1250