- Title: VARIOUS: The Amman bombings have been criticised across the Middle East
- Date: 11th November 2005
- Summary: (W3) BEIRUT, LEBANON (NOVEMBER 10, 2005) (REUTERS) TRAFFIC AND PEOPLE ON BEIRUT STREET
- Embargoed: 26th November 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, West bank
- City:
- Country: Lebanon West bank West bank Jerusalem Jerusalem Jordan
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA1VGNX0NC19WEVWWE0TS7KVXTX
- Story Text: The Qaeda group led by America's deadliest foe in Iraq on Thursday (November 10) claimed bombings that ripped through luxury hotels in Jordan's capital and killed 57 people.
In Wednesday (November 9) night's near-simultaneous attacks, two bombs turned crowded wedding parties into scenes of blood and panic at the Grand Hyatt and the nearby Radisson SAS in central Amman. A third blast targeted a Days Inn hotel.
The hotels, in the commercial Jebel Amman district, are frequented by businessmen and diplomats from Europe and the United States.
Al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said in a statement on an Islamist website that "a group of our best lions" had carried out the attacks, the worst to hit Jordan in its modern history.
"Some hotels were chosen which the Jordanian despot had turned into a backyard for the enemies of the faith, the Jews and crusaders," said the message in a reference to King Abdullah. Its authenticity could not be verified.
Al Qaeda in Iraq's statement said: "Let the tyrant of Amman know that his protection...for the Jews has become a target for the mujahideen and their attacks, and let him expect the worst."
Security officials said they believed all three explosions were the work of suicide bombers, but gave few details.
"Any organisation has the right whether it was Muslim to criticise any policy, to resist any occupation. But to express its political direction through terrorist attack and killing innocent people - that doesn't relate to the core of Islam and its reality, but the opposite. It draws many question marks over the group that uses an Islamic identity to disfigure the reputation of Islam and Muslims and to lead terrorist acts like these," Samir Mansour a political analyst in the Annahar daily newspaper said.
The Lebanese people denounced the attacks, saying that attacks like the one in Amman didn't represent Islam in any way.
"Why no operation was conducted against Israel which occupies the Palestinian lands, why all operations are against Arabs and Muslims," said Basem Reda a Beirut resident.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrived in Amman on Thursday morning to meet his counterpart Jordanian Foreign Minister Farouk Qasrawi.
Before their meeting Straw told reporters, "We all pay the price for being civilised. Let us be clear about this, this evil terrorism is something that has struck all countries and all religions. It has struck some countries which have supported the war in Iraq, but as it happens, his majesty King Abdullah and his government took a different view from us as far as Iraq is concerned. It has struck some other countries which opposed the war in Iraq."
"This is a world-wide evil. I have come here today, to this hotel, with my friend the Foreign Minister to say that Jordan's grief is our grief." he added.
Straw is expected to visit Iraq later on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Queen Rania of Jordan visited some of the injured victims of the bombings in a hospital in Amman. She said that Jordan would continue on its path of reform despite the bombing.
Queen Rania said the bomb seemed to be the work of Al Qaeda, who have claimed responsibility for the attacks. She said the attacks would strengthen Jordan's resolve to achieve peace in the Middle East. She said: "It seems too early to say but it seems from all the hallmarks of this crime that it's that kind of style but Jordan will continue on its path, we will continue to focus on peace in the Middle East. I think this just underscores, strengthens our resolve and underscores the need to have peace in the Middle East, between the Palestinians and Israelis, the Iraqi people and their children. We're continuing on the path to reform in this country whether it's political, economic, or social. I think this is the kind of path that threatens terrorists but we have to continue and we have to do what's right."
Palestinian militant factions also strongly condemned the deadly bombings in Amman.
"Hamas assures that it is against these doings, that the victims that are gone are innocent Arabs and Muslims. This threatens the stability of the Arab and Islamic world. This time it happened to our dear Jordanian Kingdom and we hope that the -waters return to its place- and the stability and security would return to Jordanian and Palestinian residents," said Mushir el-Masri of the Islamic militant group Hamas.
In the west bank city of Ramallah Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie spoke to reporters: "Well, it's a sad day today that such a terror act has been addressed against civilian people in Jordan and it is against all human measures to go for a wedding party and for suicide bombers to go against civilian people. We offer our solidarity and our support to our Jordanian brothers to his majesty the King and his government and to the Jordanian people and we decided today to make it for the Palestinian really a sad day,"
A Palestinian diplomat said a senior Palestinian security officer and two other officials were among those killed in the bombing.
Major General Bashir Nafe, commander of Palestinian Special Forces, was killed in Wednesday's explosion at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Palestinian embassy diplomat Atta Kheiri said.
Nafe was in the Jordanian capital on his way back to the Palestinian territories, Kheiri said.
He said commercial attaché at the Palestinian embassy in Cairo Jehad Fattouh, brother of Palestinian Parliament Speaker Rawhi Fattouh, and Colonel Abed Alloun a member of the Palestinian intelligence department were also among the 57 people killed.
Jordan has said most of the victims were Jordanians.
"What happened in Jordan is a terrible terrorist attack, the entire Arab and Islamic world should condemn it and disown such people," Alan Amran, a resident of Ramallah said.
One body of an Israeli was identified among the bodies in Amman, according to a source in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Jordan is a frequent tourist destination for Israelis since Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994. However, a rift in diplomatic relations has been apparent since peace talks with Palestinians stalled in September 2000.
One Israeli travel agency representative said the attacks may have an impact on Israeli tourism to Jordan in the near future.
"I am sure that in the long run it will affect them badly, the same way we were affected all those years of intifada (Palestinian uprising) There is rumours and the whole world knows that in this areas there are terror attacks, and no one wants to go to those areas, even though it can happen to anyone anywhere," said Tali from the Snir travel agency in Jerusalem. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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