Counterterrorism Blog

Al-Qaida's Committee in Mesopotamia--led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi--has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly suicide bombing attacks yesterday in the Jordanian capital Amman.  In an initial statement posted early this morning, Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq announced that members of its Al-Baraa bin Malik "Martyrs" Brigade had carried out the attacks on "hotels used by the Jordanian tyrants as a garden for the Jews and Christians�the enemies of Islam... and as a secure base for infidel intelligence forces who are conspiring against the Muslims."  Al-Qaida further warned that "the wall protecting the Jews that was built in eastern Jordan�along with the secret training camp for the crusader army and the government of Iraq�have become targets for the mujahideen."  A second statement released by Al-Qaida later in the day expanded on the rationale behind the hotel bombings:

"They had become the preferred locations for intelligence forces�especially the Americans, the Israelis, and some Western European nations�where they fight their secret campaign in the so-called war against terrorism.  These [forces] are joined by the secret services of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, and Saudi intelligence�in addition to the intelligence department of the Jordanian tyrant.  It is where they conspire how to destroy the mujahideen in Palestine, Mesopotamia, and the Arabian Peninsula... The hotels] have also become secure secret bases for� meetings of the apostate government, including [Shiites] and... the apostate Iyad Allawi�who the Crusaders are preparing for the new �Dayton� conspiracy by forming an alliance with the fools amongst the Sunnis."

Al-Qaida further threatened that regional Arab rulers "will witness in the coming days events that will make their current problems seem trivial in comparison."

(Click to view English translations - Statement #1 - Statement #2 - c/o Globalterroralert.com)

Earlier today, I got a chance to speak and comment on the Amman bombings with Dan Murphy of the Christian Science Monitor.  I'm posting excerpts below:

But long before he ever set foot in Iraq - Zarqawi was a noted and dangerous man in his native country [Jordan]... The Iraq war gave him a chance, metaphorically at least, to come home again, and it appears he helped pull off the biggest terrorist attack in the country's history.  A sign of the impending tragedy in Jordan, says Evan Kohlmann, an Al Qaeda expert and author, was a failed attack claimed by Zarqawi's group on two US warships in the Gulf of Aqaba in August.  "The first attack in Jordan was the last warning sign," says Kohlmann.  "Everyone knew that this was coming, it was just a matter of time."  Mr. Kohlmann says there's evidence the 39-year-old Zarqawi, born Ahmad Fadil al-Khalayleh in Jordan's industrial city of Zarqa, has long wanted to do damage inside the kingdom, but this appears to be the first time he has succeeded.  "Look at his success rate.  He had succeeded in killing one US diplomat, just one, before the Iraq war," says Kohlmann referring to Lawrence Foley, who was murdered at his home in 2002.  Zarqawi "was tied to the attempt to blow up the Radisson in [Dec.] 1999 - that failed.  Why is he successful now?  Because he has an entire team of suicide bombers ready and waiting, and according to his Internet statement the people who carried this out belong to the ... same unit that carries out his suicide attacks in Iraq"... Kohlmann points out, it's useful to be close to your strongest recruiting pool.  "What's been effective for Zarqawi has been recruiting Sunni Arabs - Iraqi, Saudi, Jordanian, North African.  These are the people who have been proven to be the most destructive, capable and driven fighters," he says.  "It's all about a secure base and a good location.  This is the reason that bin Laden and Zawahiri have so many problems - they're up in the mountains away from modern technology and ways of getting around.  Zarqawi didn't come into his own until the jihad moved into an urban battleground, in Iraq."

I also appeared earlier on MSNBC to discuss the possible larger implications of the Amman bombings in terms of regional terrorist threats:

"I think we might want to take a look at this attack and take it as a warning sign, because I think Zarqawi will not only continue to try to carry out attacks like this, but he's going to try to use countries like Jordan as a bridge to Israel and the United States," he said.  "Don't be surprised if you see the spread of Zarqawi's cells from Jordan into the Palestinian Territories, into Lebanon, and perhaps even into Syria in the coming weeks," Kohlmann added.