Media sources reported that Iraq’s Al-Qaeda group has claimed responsibility for the blasts in three Jordanian hotels on Wednesday night.
Latest reports said that 57 were killed and up to 200 people injured in the blasts, which occurred at the Radisson SAS, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn hotels in Amman.
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Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said on state television that most of those killed were Jordanians, in addition to guests from different nationalities.
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Speaking on state television, Muashir said the country’s land borders had been sealed and ‘more measures will be taken soon’. He did not elaborate.
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A Jordanian security source said at least 30 bodies are very much distorted and the forensics are still unable to identify them.
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The Iraq’s al-Qaeda group is lead by someone called Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi, who is said to be Jordanian by origin.
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Al-Jazeera news website quoted a statement by the group claiming the attacks and attributing them to the Israeli-Jordanian ties.
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‘A group of our best lions launched a new attack on some dens … After casing the targets, some hotels were chosen which the Jordanian despot turned into a backyard for the enemies of the faith, the Jews and crusaders,’ the statement said on Thursday.
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‘Let the tyrant of Amman know that his protection…for the Jews has become a target for the mujahideen [fighters] and their attacks, and let him expect the worst,’ it added.
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Al-Jazeera said the statement was published on a website often used by the group, but stopped short of mentioning the site.
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According to the Associated Press, the first explosion occurred at 8.50pm local time in or near the lobby of the Grand Hyatt, whereas the second blast followed shortly afterwards, hitting the wedding hall at the Radisson SAS hotel.
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Jordanian security officials believe these two were caused by suicide bombers while the third which occurred in the night club of the Days Inn hotel was caused by an explosives-laden vehicle that blew up outside the hotel after failing to cross a police line.
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Al-Jazeera correspondent in Amman Yasser Abu Hilala said police were also on the lookout for a car with Iraqi license plates, shortly before the bombing occurred.
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All Israeli citizens were evacuated by Jordanian security from the Radisson SAS hotel hours before the explosions, said the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Thursday.
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Four Palestinian high ranking officials and one Palestinian businessman with Israeli citizenship were killed in the blasts, in addition to the daughter of a Syrian film-maker Mustafa Akkad, who was also wounded in the blast.
