Jordanians Rally to Denounce Al-Zarqawi
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.
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 for testing to identify the attackers. Land borders were reopened after being closed for nearly 12 hours.
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 traditionally a vocal critic of King Abdullah II`s moderate and pro-Western policies.
Protesters including women and children gathered outside a bombed hotels, shouting, "Death to al-Zarqawi, the villain and the traitor!" Drivers honked the horns of vehicles decorated with Jordanian flags and posters of the king. A helicopter hovered overhead.
"We sacrifice our lives for you, Amman!" the protesters chanted.
State television said a second rally was planned in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where attackers using Katyusha rockets narrowly missed a U.S. ship and killed a Jordanian soldier in August.
The streets of the capital appeared 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.
Government spokesman Bassel Tarawneh said 56 people were killed in the suicide attacks, but he said that number likely would rise. The victims included 15 Jordanians, five Iraqis, one Saudi, one Palestinian, three Chinese, one Indonesian; 30 others had not been identified.
The nearly simultaneous attacks also wounded more than 115 people, police said. They detained several people overnight, although it was unclear if they were suspects or witnesses.
Associated Press
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