BICOM

Jordanian authorities yesterday announced that they had detained eleven people, suspected to be members of an al-Qaida affiliated cell, who had been planning a mass terror attack in the capital Amman.

The suspects, all Jordanian citizens, had apparently planned to carry out two suicide bombings in shopping centres in Amman, before launching an assault on the prosperous Abdoun district, which is home to many Western diplomats who were a target of the attack according to Jordan’s Petra News Agency. Jordan enjoys good diplomatic relations and close intelligence cooperation with many Western countries.

Jordanian authorities specified that there was a Syrian involvement in the plot. A security source told Reuters that, “Their plans included getting explosives and mortars from Syria,” which has been embroiled in a violent internal conflict for over a year and a half. Minister of Information Samih al Maaytah added, “This group arrived from Syria. They have been going in and out.” An estimated 150 American troops are currently based 35 miles from the Syrian border, advising the Jordanian military on threats emanating from the Syria crisis.

According to Jordanian authorities, e-mails had been intercepted which showed that Iraqi al-Qaida explosive experts had advised the cell. In 2005, al Qaeda claimed responsibility for three suicide bombings that ripped through luxury hotels in Jordan’s capital killing dozens of people.

Jordan has enjoyed stable relations with Israel since a peace agreement was signed in 1994. Israel considers Jordanian stability an important strategic interest, while the two countries are thought to have long shared intelligence information on Islamist extremists.