Top > World > 2006 > March > 2006-03-06

Al-Qaeda Plot Foiled in Jordan

State television in Jordan announced this weekend that Jordanian intelligence managed to foil an al-Qaeda plot to mount a suicide attack against a key civilian target. The Jordanians did not name the installation that was targeted, but said they had confiscated 4 kg (9 lb) of explosives that were to be used in a suicide operation. A security source says those arrested would go on trial at the state security court soon, adding that they had undergone detailed interrogation.

Officials in Amman named three of the suspected terrorists that were arrested. One was a Libyan national, Mohammad Darsi, 25. Darsi was to be the suicide bomber. Two Iraqis, Muhsen al-Lousi and Abdul Karim al-Jumaili, provided Darsi with logistical support.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a close U.S. ally and one of two Arab nations to have a peace treaty with Israel. The capital, Amman, was the target of an al Qaeda-linked series of attacks last November on luxury hotels which killed 60 people. One of the hotels targeted was hosting a wedding, and several officials of the Palestinian Authority were reportedly in one of the hotels as well.