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2 Chinese killed in Jordan hotel bombings
(AP/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-11-10 06:36
Suicide bombers attacked three hotels frequented by Westerners in the
Jordanian capital Wednesday night, and at least 57 people were killed and more
than 300 wounded in the near-simultaneous explosions, a top government official
said.
A Xinhua report quoting the Chinese embassy there said two members of a
Chinese military delegation, now visiting Jordan, were killed in one of the
hotel bombings, and two more were injured, one seriously.
But the latest
reports of people.com.cn said at least five Chinese were killed in the blasts,
quoting local radio reports.
Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher gave the casualty estimate during an
interview with CNN, in which he also said a car packed with explosives
approached one of the hotels attacked in the heart of the capital. He said there
was no claim of responsibility, but Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born
leader of al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group, was a "prime suspect."
Bodies of victims
lay on ground outside the Days Inn hotel in central Amman November 9,
2005. At least 57 people were killed and scores wounded on Wednesday when
three suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up in three hotels in
Amman, a security source said. [Reuters] |
Police Maj. Bashir al-Da'aja said officials believe the blasts at three
U.S.-based hotels were carried out by suicide bombers. The explosions indicated
the involvement of al-Qaida, which has launched coordinated attacks on
high-profile, Western targets in the past, a police official said.
One explosion occurred in a wedding hall where 300 Jordanians were
celebrating. Muasher said a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the
wedding party. Black smoke rose into the night and wounded stumbled out of the
hotels.
A U.S. counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also
said no one claimed responsibility for the attacks.
However, the official said, the strong suspicion is that al-Zarqawi was
involved because of his known animosity for Jordan and the fact that suicide
bombers were involved, one of his hallmarks.
In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the bombings "a
great tragedy. It again shows that people will take innocent life without any
remorse."
The body of a
victim is moved into a car outside the Days Inn hotel in central Amman
November 9, 2005. At least 57 people were killed and scores wounded on
Wednesday when three suspected suicide bombers blew themselves up in three
hotels in Amman. [Reuters] |
She added that the bombings demonstrate the difficulty the nation is facing
in the war on terrorism.
The first blast was reported at about 8:50 p.m. at the luxury Grand Hyatt
hotel, popular with tourists and diplomats, and completely shattered its stone
entrance.
An Associated Press reporter counted seven bodies being taken away and many
more wounded being carried out on stretchers. Prime Minister Adnan Badran later
arrived at the scene.
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