Thousands of Jordanians Protest Amman Bombings
Jordanians take to the streets in spontaneous demonstrations, following a series of terror attacks against the small kingdom on Wednesday. Fifty-seven people were killed and more then 100 wounded when suicide bombers attacked three luxury hotels in the Jordanian capital. The insurgent group al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
And I'm Steve Inskeep.
Jordanian security officials are conducting searches and interrogating suspects in connection with Wednesday's suicide bombings at three hotels in central Amman. Nearly 60 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the attacks, which are being blamed on al-Qaeda. NPR's Ivan Watson reports from Amman.
IVAN WATSON reporting:
Jordanians responded to the worst terror attacks in their country with defiance and pledges of national unity. They cruised the streets in cars, honking their horns and waving the kingdom's four-color flag.
(Soundbite of music; horns honking)
WATSON: Demonstrators lined the front steps leading up to the Radisson Hotel, one of the targets Wednesday night, with candles and more Jordanian flags. In front, young men sang patriotic Jordanian songs and sometimes even danced.
(Soundbite of people singing)
WATSON: Throughout the day, demonstrators periodically denounced the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In an Internet posting, the authenticity of which cannot be confirmed, Zarqawi's group claimed responsibility for the attacks, calling them a strike against America, Israel, and the, quote, "infidel Iraqi government." Though the three suspected suicide bomb attacks targeted hotels frequented by Western and Iraqi government officials, contractors and tourists, the majority of the victims were Jordanian civilians. One of the explosions had targeted a Jordanian Palestinian wedding party. Last night on a curb outside the bombed-out lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, families held a quiet candlelight vigil. A cricket chirped somewhere nearby.
(Soundbite of cricket chirping)
WATSON: Twenty-six-year-old Deema Mushar-Bas(ph) stood here holding a lit candle and a sign that said, `Jordan's 9/11.'
Ms. DEEMA MUSHAR-BAS: It's very sad actually and it's very unexpected. I mean, it's been--we've been hearing about this, but it was a shock for everyone, and we're going to still stay strong. We're not going to give up, and we're going to fight terrorism.
WATSON: One of those killed here in the Grand Hyatt was Yazim Arg's(ph) 26-year-old cousin Yildar(ph), who was in the lobby booking a reservation for his upcoming wedding when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.
Mr. YAZIM ARG: If they were true Muslims, they won't kill innocent people. Like I told you about my cousin, he just came to make a reserve for his wedding. He don't have nothing to do with politics or war against Iraq or United States--nothing. He just want to get married, and he died.
WATSON: Arg, a 19-year-old university student, knelt and prayed beside the candles and then began talking about revenge. He blamed the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis currently living in Jordan.
Mr. ARG: Wait and see how the Iraqis will be here. Wherever you go, you find fights against Iraqis. Like me, you know, I'm ready to have a fight with an Iraqi.
WATSON: Since the US invaded neighboring Iraq, the Iraqi population here has grown significantly and includes the daughter of Saddam Hussein. Throughout the capital last night, police and military stood on alert.
(Soundbite of security operations)
WATSON: The authorities say they've made several arrests but have offered few details, except to say Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a prime suspect. In the evening yesterday, King Abdullah II took to the airwaves to offer his condolences.
King ABDULLAH II (Jordan): (Foreign language spoken)
WATSON: He said Jordan would not be intimidated, and he vowed to continue the fight against terrorism in all its forms. Ivan Watson, NPR News, Amman.
Copyright © 2005 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.