Post by Said1 on Nov 9, 2005 18:09:30 GMT -5
Explosions hit 3 hotels in Jordanian capital; at least 57 killed, many wounded
Canadian Press
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
A fire fighting vehicle enters the main gate of the Radisson hotel in Amman after explosions rocked three hotels in Jordan's capital late Wednesday. (AP/Nader Daoud)
AMMAN, Jordan (CP) - Suicide bombers simultaneously attacked three hotels frequented by foreigners in Jordan's capital late Wednesday, killing at least 57 people and injuring more than 300, Jordan's deputy prime minister said. One police official said they appeared to be al-Qaida attacks.
The explosions hit the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels just before 9 p.m.
Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher told The Associated Press that the death toll was the latest obtained by Jordanian security.
A Jordanian security official said authorities were looking for possible suspects believed to have assisted in the attacks. He declined to elaborate, but noted that the kingdom's land borders may be sealed.
The blast at the Radisson occurred during a wedding party with at least 300 guests.
"We thought it was fireworks for the wedding but I saw people falling to the ground," said Ahmed, a wedding guest who did not give his surname. "I saw blood. There were people killed. It was ugly."
At the Grand Hyatt, an American businessman said a bomb exploded in the lobby.
"Several of my friends have died. The people who carried this out were cowards," he said, refusing to give his name.
King Abdullah II condemned the attacks as "criminal acts committed by a deviant and misleading bunch" and said they would not sway Jordan from continuing its battle against terrorism. He cut short his official visit to Kazakhstan and was returning home Wednesday night.
"The hand of justice will get to the criminals who targeted innocent secure civilians with their cowardly acts," he said in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.
Police spokesman Maj. Bashir al-Da'aja told The Associated Press that authorities believed the blasts at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels "were suicide bombings." He declined to elaborate.
Another police official said the attacks were simultaneous and hit minutes before 9 p.m. in two districts in the Jordanian capital, including the commercial area of Jebel Amman and al-Rabiyeh, which houses the Israeli Embassy.
"The attacks carry the trademark of al-Qaida," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police regulations. "We are investigating."
In Washington, a counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity said there is a strong suspicion that Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was involved in the attacks because of his known animosity for Jordan and the fact that suicide bombers were involved, one of his hallmarks.
Al-Zarqawi, the leader of the terror group "al-Qaida in Iraq", has been sentenced to death in absentia in Jordan.
A contributor on a militant website hailed al-Zarqawi, assuming he had a role in the attacks.
"Strike, blow up, don't have mercy, turn it upside down, heal our hearts. By God, striking the Jordanian entity, the foreigners, the Zionists, is more dear to us than striking America," Abu Hajjar al-Shami wrote.
Link
Canadian Press
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
A fire fighting vehicle enters the main gate of the Radisson hotel in Amman after explosions rocked three hotels in Jordan's capital late Wednesday. (AP/Nader Daoud)
AMMAN, Jordan (CP) - Suicide bombers simultaneously attacked three hotels frequented by foreigners in Jordan's capital late Wednesday, killing at least 57 people and injuring more than 300, Jordan's deputy prime minister said. One police official said they appeared to be al-Qaida attacks.
The explosions hit the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels just before 9 p.m.
Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher told The Associated Press that the death toll was the latest obtained by Jordanian security.
A Jordanian security official said authorities were looking for possible suspects believed to have assisted in the attacks. He declined to elaborate, but noted that the kingdom's land borders may be sealed.
The blast at the Radisson occurred during a wedding party with at least 300 guests.
"We thought it was fireworks for the wedding but I saw people falling to the ground," said Ahmed, a wedding guest who did not give his surname. "I saw blood. There were people killed. It was ugly."
At the Grand Hyatt, an American businessman said a bomb exploded in the lobby.
"Several of my friends have died. The people who carried this out were cowards," he said, refusing to give his name.
King Abdullah II condemned the attacks as "criminal acts committed by a deviant and misleading bunch" and said they would not sway Jordan from continuing its battle against terrorism. He cut short his official visit to Kazakhstan and was returning home Wednesday night.
"The hand of justice will get to the criminals who targeted innocent secure civilians with their cowardly acts," he said in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.
Police spokesman Maj. Bashir al-Da'aja told The Associated Press that authorities believed the blasts at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels "were suicide bombings." He declined to elaborate.
Another police official said the attacks were simultaneous and hit minutes before 9 p.m. in two districts in the Jordanian capital, including the commercial area of Jebel Amman and al-Rabiyeh, which houses the Israeli Embassy.
"The attacks carry the trademark of al-Qaida," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police regulations. "We are investigating."
In Washington, a counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity said there is a strong suspicion that Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was involved in the attacks because of his known animosity for Jordan and the fact that suicide bombers were involved, one of his hallmarks.
Al-Zarqawi, the leader of the terror group "al-Qaida in Iraq", has been sentenced to death in absentia in Jordan.
A contributor on a militant website hailed al-Zarqawi, assuming he had a role in the attacks.
"Strike, blow up, don't have mercy, turn it upside down, heal our hearts. By God, striking the Jordanian entity, the foreigners, the Zionists, is more dear to us than striking America," Abu Hajjar al-Shami wrote.
Link