• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Detained Qaeda men planned Jordan power plant attack

Posted on: Thursday, 2 March 2006, 11:55 CST

By Suleiman al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - A group of al Qaeda militants arrested by Jordanian authorities had planned to blow up a major power plant that feeds the whole country, security sources said on Thursday.

Jordan announced on Wednesday it had foiled an al Qaeda "terrorist plot" and arrested two Iraqis and a Libyan who were plotting to carry out a suicide attack against a vital civilian installation. Officials said the arrests took place last week.

Authorities did not specify the planned target. The security sources said the government did not reveal details because it did not want to stir public anxiety and panic.

They said another Iraqi man linked to the group was detained in Jordan last night. Two more Iraqis and a Saudi militant were believed to have fled to neighboring Syria, they added without elaborating.

Officials said the attack, if carried out, would have been the deadliest in a series of recent strikes targeting Jordan.

"There have been smaller plots but this is by far the most serious in the last few months given the number of people involved, the weapons confiscated and (nature) of the target," government spokesman Naser Joudeh said without elaborating.

Officials said security forces have been vigilant ever since al Qaeda militants loyal to Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi carried out suicide attacks at three luxury hotels that killed 60 people in Jordan Last November. Zarqawi had since pledged more attacks against Jordan.

Militants also fired rockets against two U.S. warships last August but missed them.

EXPLOSIVES MATCHED

Officials said the 4 kg (9 pounds) of explosives matched those found with an Iraqi woman who failed to detonate her bomb at one of the three Amman hotels.

"Every time there is a foiled attempt there is increased vigilance based on newly acquired information," Joudeh added.

Officials and security experts said the failed al Qaeda suicide bombing in Jordan was a signal that Zarqawi was stepping up his campaign against one of Washington's closest Arab allies.

They say Zarqawi, angry at his country's close ties with the United States and emboldened by the hotel bombings, has opened a new front in Jordan where he was jailed for three years.

"Zarqawi now is depending on the Jordanian arena as a sphere of influence that is not less important than Iraq," said Mohamed Najjar, an Amman-based expert on Islamists.

Security experts noted that in his latest attacks Zarqawi was using non-Jordanian Arab militants, primarily Iraqis, who came with battle-hardened experience to undertake operations inside Jordan and head back home.

"It's clear that Zarqawi is now using the strategy of relying on Arabs and this is very dangerous because Jordan has an open doors policy toward Arabs and the ease of entry will facilitate matters despite precautionary measures," Najjar said.

Non-Jordanians are harder to track down.

A chemical attack plot in April 2004 was to be carried out by Zarqawi's Jordanian aide Azmi Jayousi, who ended up with most of his aides behind bars.

Jordanian authorities say they have foiled many militant attacks against well-guarded embassies and tourist sites, but admit they now face unprecedented challenges.

"We are now talking about a more lethal enemy who knows no red lines and has extended the Iraqi front to soft targets in his own country...and more instability in Iraq is helping him turn his attention increasingly to Jordan," said one senior official with links to the intelligence establishment.

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category