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| Suicide
bombers Kill 57 at Three Jordanian Hotels |
|
Wednesday, November 09
2005 @ 10:01 PM EST
"There was no
immediate claim of responsibility, but
counter-terrorism officials pointed the finger
at al-Zarqawi.."
By Suleiman al-Khalidi
and Dina Wakeel
AMMAN (Reuters) - Three suspected suicide
bombers blew themselves up at three
international hotels in Jordan's capital
Amman, killing 57 people and wounding 110
others.
In Wednesday's apparently synchronised
attacks, two bombs exploded while crowds were
celebrating weddings, leaving blood and
destruction at Amman's luxury Grand Hyatt
hotel and the nearby Radisson SAS. A third
blast targeted a Days Inn hotel.
There was no immediate claim of
responsibility, but counter-terrorism
officials pointed the finger at al Qaeda and
its leader in Iraq, Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
because of the simultaneous attacks -- a
hallmark of the militant network.
"The initial investigations so far show
that the blasts that caused the deaths of 57
people and wounded 110 people had been
executed by explosive devices and suicide
bombings," said a statement issued by the
Jordanian cabinet.
Jordan's King Abdullah blamed a "deviant
and misled group" for the attacks.
"The attacks targeted and killed innocent
Jordanian civilians," the king, whose
country is bordered by Iraq, Syria, Saudi
Arabia and Israel, said in a statement.
Deputy Prime Minister Marwan al-Muasher told a
news conference most of the victims were
Jordanians. Authorities said they did not yet
have any details on all the nationalities.
"I was eating with friends in the
restaurant next to the bar when I saw a huge
ball of fire shoot up to the ceiling and then
everything went black," said a French
U.N. official, who was at the Hyatt but who
declined to be identified.
"It caused absolute devastation. The bar
was definitely the target, but the whole lobby
was packed with people."
U.S. President George W. Bush and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas were among world
leaders who condemned the attacks. U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan cancelled plans
to visit Amman on Thursday.
The explosion at the Radisson tore through a
banqueting room where about 250 people were
attending a wedding reception, witnesses said.
A smaller wedding, attracting several dozen
well-dressed young people, was going on at the
Hyatt.
Reuters correspondents at the Radisson and
Hyatt saw dozens of wounded people, including
one young woman hit by shrapnel in her legs
and back and apparently left paralysed.
At the Hyatt, one waiter, identified by his
name tag as Mustafa, lay motionless on the
hotel's back steps as guests tried to
resuscitate him before ambulance workers
arrived.
Many Westerners, including tourists,
businessmen and foreign contractors working in
Iraq, were staying at the three hotels. The
Radisson is known to be popular with Israeli
tourists.
Police and some military units threw up
roadblocks around hotels and embassies in the
city, causing traffic chaos. Officials said
Jordan had closed its borders.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari who
arrived in Amman for an unannounced visit told
reporters he would "point the fingers of
accusation against al Qaeda".
Jordan has so far been spared major attacks on
foreigners despite its proximity to Iraq and
popularity as a tourist destination, but the
authorities had been braced for trouble.
Katyusha rockets were fired at two U.S.
warships in Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba in
August, narrowly missing their targets and
hitting civilian buildings and the nearby
Israeli port of Eilat. Jordanian security
officials said they believed al Qaeda was
involved in the attack.
In Washington, a U.S. counter-terrorism
official said: "Certainly there's
suspicion Zarqawi may have culpability (in
Wednesday's attacks). But at this point it's
too early to tell."
A Western security expert familiar with Jordan
said Zarqawi would be a prime suspect.
Zarqawi, who comes from the poor town of Zarqa
outside Amman, was jailed by Jordan in 1996
but freed under amnesty by King Abdullah when
he assumed the throne three years later.
"This clearly would be something very
personal to him -- not just ideological, but a
grudge match," said Hungary-based
security expert Sebestyen Gorka.
-Additional reporting by Luke Baker, Mark
Trevelyan in Berlin, Dan Williams in
Jerusalem, David Morgan in Washington
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