Shocked Jordanians Protest Bombings in their Capital

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/10/i...&en=2ebf3667d6589dde&ei=5094&partner=homepage

November 10, 2005
Shocked Jordanians Protest Bombings in Their Capital
By HASSAN M. FATTAH

AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 10 - Thousands of Jordanians staged protests in the heart of the capital today against the terrorist bombings that killed 59 people and wounded about 100 when they ripped nearly simultaneously through three popular hotels on Wednesday night.

Jordanian citizens in convoys of cars and on foot filed past two of the hotels, on a central Amman street near government ministries, shouting slogans in support of the nation's unity and of King Abdullah. Black flags fluttered from closed shops. Jordanian flags were lowered to half-mast.

"We came to support our nation and our unity," said Ibrahim Haniya, 22, who was marching with a group of friends. "It was a real shock that people would blow themselves up among the innocent. This was clearly an attempt to shake our stability."

A statement issued by the Al Qaeda group in Iraq claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attacks, and the terror group's Web posting linked the deadly blasts to the war in Iraq, according to The Associated Press.

The claim, which could not be independently verified, said Jordan became a target because it was "a backyard garden for the enemies of the religion, Jews and crusaders ... a filthy place for the traitors ... and a center for prostitution," The A.P. said.

Soon after the bombings, suspicion fell on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - the Jordanian leader of Qaeda in Iraq, who in 2004 was sentenced to death, in absentia, by a Jordanian military court for his role in killing an American diplomat two years earlier.

The bombs tore through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, hit a wedding party at the Radisson SAS Hotel down the street, and exploded at the Days Inn Hotel, all within minutes. The largest number of victims were at the Radisson wedding, where Jordanian notables were in attendance.

Jordanians expressed their shock and indignation that their country was attacked, and some attributed it to Jordan's efforts to try to broker regional peace, like its support of the creation of a new government in neighboring Iraq.

"We have been trying to help solve the problems of Iraq," said Yazan Faure, who was taking part in the march today. "All the things we have been doing for Iraq have attracted the eyes of the terrorists who realize we are still stable."

Jordan is viewed with contempt by Islamic extremists for its peace treaty and ties with Israel, its neighbor, and its close links with Washington. Today, a statement from the office of the prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, said that Mr. Sharon had called King Abdullah on the telephone to express condolences and confirm that Israel was ready to offer assistance.

President Bush also telephoned King Abdullah to offer condolences, news agencies reported.

Jordan's deputy prime minister, Marwan Muasher, said in a news conference today that there were 59 people killed, raising the death toll from 56 reported earlier by the Jordanian cabinet. The cabinet had said the attacks appeared to have been carried out by suicide bombers.

A spokesman at the American Embassy in Amman said by telephone that an American was among those killed. The embassy released no further details.

Mr. Muasher also said that more than half of those killed were Jordanians. Among the dead were Iraqis, Indonesians, Chinese, Syrians, and Saudi Arabians. Fourteen bodies have yet to be identified.

Amman, the capital, was placed under a severe security lockdown late Wednesday with streets closed and the police donning heavy armor. Members of Jordan's secret intelligence police force were also out in full force.

Ambulance workers and hotel staff members carried the dead and injured out of the hotels on gurneys and handcars usually reserved for baggage. There was chaos and confusion at the three sites. While frequented by Westerners, the hotels employed large numbers of Jordanians.

"There was a noise, then there was silence and no one could tell what happened," said Marwan Qusous, an owner of Kanabaye, a nightclub a few yards from the Grand Hyatt, who discovered that two of his friends had been killed. "I never expected something like this to happen to Jordan. This is our Jordan, and I will fight this with my every means."

At the Khalidi Hospital, less than a mile away from the Grand Hyatt blast, witnesses said some of the bodies were decapitated.

Because of Mr. Zarqawi's terrorist activities in Iraq, the United States has offered a $25 million reward for any help in capturing him.

In April 2004, Mr. Zarqawi taped a seven-minute statement that appeared on several Islamic Web sites. It claimed responsibility for several bombing attempts in Jordan and stated his interest in attacking Jordan.

"What is coming is more vicious and bitter," Mr. Zarqawi said in the statement, according to a transcript of the message.

Jordan has been a target of foiled terrorist attempts in the past. In July, there was a failed multiple-rocket attack against two American warships in the southern port city of Aqaba.

Jordan has provided crucial logistical support to the United States during the war in Iraq. Nonetheless, hotel security in Amman has long been light.

King Abdullah cut short a visit to Kazakhstan and returned home. The state-run Jordan Television showed the king inspecting the sites of the blasts after returning home early this morning, news agencies reported, The A.P. said. He later presided over a meeting of his security chiefs, including police and intelligence, it reported.

He was scheduled to visit Tel Aviv next Monday for a ceremony marking the opening of a center in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, the slain prime minister. It was unclear if that visit would proceed.

Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations postponed plans to visit Amman.

The White House condemned the strikes as "a heinous act of terror" against innocent civilians. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the attacks were a "great tragedy."

In a statement released by the royal court, the king said: "The terrorist attacks that targeted three hotels in Amman are criminal acts carried out by terrorist groups. Jordan remains determined to pursue its fight against the criminals who wanted by their acts to target innocent civilians."

He added that Jordan would "remain a safe country."

The attacks began about 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, with the first blast going off in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt. Officials said the most damaging explosion occurred in a ballroom packed with wedding guests inside the Radisson. Officials said the explosion at the Days Inn might have been a car bomb.

The nearly simultaneous explosions at three hotels seemed to echo a plot foiled by Jordanian security agents in 2000 in which terrorists linked to Al Qaeda planned to bomb four popular hotels. The Radisson was one of the intended targets in the 2000 plot.

The hotels, all within walking distance of one another, are popular among foreigners, including diplomats and journalists working in the city.

Jordan is known for one of the most effective intelligence operations in the Middle East, with a network of agents who at times have succeeded in infiltrating rogue operations. The United States has often looked to Jordan for help with information picked up by its intelligence agents.

But Jordan has not escaped terrorism. In 2002, an American diplomat, Laurence Foley, was fatally shot in the front yard of his Amman home. Two years later, a Jordanian military court sentenced eight men to death for taking part in that killing, six in absentia. One of those men was Mr. Zarqawi.

Reporting for this article was contributed by Michael Slackman from Cairo; Christine Hauser from New York; Douglas Jehl from Washington, and Suha Maayehfrom Amman.

 

I don't know why, but almost every time I see one of your posts, I find myself checking to see if that "Bigtexxx-Alba Homemade Adult Video" link is real. Gets me every time.

 

You've got to be kidding me. It's pretty apparent you will never be satisfied. They have a protest and you take issue with them cursing the villain behind the attacks. Unbelievable.