Al-Qaida claims
Jordan bombing
By
Alyson Brodsy |
The Associated Press
POSTED AT
12:00 AM ON Nov. 11, 2005
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AMMAN, Jordan -- Hundreds of angry Jordanians rallied Thursday outside one of three U.S.-based hotels attacked by suicide bombers, shouting, "Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!" after the terrorist's group claimed responsibility for the blasts that killed at least 56 people.
At least one American was killed and two were wounded, a U.S. Embassy official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with embassy rules. The victims were not identified.
In an Internet statement, al-Qaida in Iraq linked the blasts at the Grand Hyatt, the Radisson SAS and the Days Inn hotels to the war in Iraq and called Amman the "backyard garden" for U.S. operations.
Police continued a broad security lockdown, and authorities sent DNA samples to identify the attackers. Land borders closed for nearly 12 hours were reopened.
Authorities also reported arresting a number of Iraqis as security forces scrambled to capture those behind the bombings before they could flee the country.
The Amman protest was organized by Jordan's 14 professional and trade unions -- made up of both hard-line Islamic groups and leftist political organizations -- traditional critics of the king's moderate, pro-Western policies.
Protestors shouted, "Death to al-Zarqawi, the villain and the traitor!" Honking vehicles were decorated with Jordanian flags and posters of the king. A helicopter hovered overhead.
"We sacrifice our lives for you, Amman!" the protestors chanted.
Other rallies were held across the kingdom, including the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where attackers using Katyusha rockets narrowly missed a U.S. ship and killed a Jordanian soldier in August. Others were in al-Zarqawi's hometown of Zarqa and the southern city of Maan, which is a known hub for Muslim fundamentalists.
Amman's streets were deserted early Thursday, which was declared a day of mourning. Public and private offices were closed under government instructions, apparently to allow tightened security measures to take hold.
"We also need to really send a strong message that terror, that terrorist attacks on civilians should not be justified for any reason," Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher told CNN. "This culture of bombing people for whatever reason or whatever cause should not be justified."
The date of Wednesday's attack, Nov. 9, would be written as 9/11 in the Middle East, which puts the day before the month. A Jordanian government spokesman declined to speculate on its meaning. But Jordanians were sending text messages that read: "Have you noticed that today is 9-11, similar to America's 11-9?"
In Washington, President Bush condemned the bombings, saying the attackers defiled Islam, and the United States would help bring those responsible to justice.
"The killings should remind all of us that there is an enemy in this world that is willing to kill innocent people, willing to bomb a wedding celebration in order to advance their cause," Bush said in the Oval Office.
Government spokesman Bassel Tarawneh said 56 people were killed in the suicide attacks, but he said that number would likely rise. In addition to the American, the victims included 33 Jordanians, six Iraqis, two Bahrainis, two Chinese, one Saudi and one Indonesian. He could not identify the rest.