9 November 2005
Terrorists Attack Three Western Hotels in Amman, Jordan, November 9, 2005 President Bush offers Jordan "every possible form of cooperation"
Washington -- President Bush strongly condemns three terrorist attacks that struck Western hotels in the Jordanian capital November 9, killing and wounding scores of civilians, the White House said.
"Those targeted included citizens of many nationalities. On behalf of the American people, the President [Bush] expresses his condolences to King Abdullah and the people of Jordan," the White House said in a prepared statement. "We hope for the recovery of those wounded in these attacks, and offer our prayers for the victims and their families."
"Jordan is a close friend of the United States, and we will offer every possible form of cooperation in investigating these attacks and assisting in efforts to bring these terrorists to justice."
Three suicide terrorists, with suspected links to the al-Qaida terrorist group, detonated three bombs within minutes of each other at three major hotels in Amman, Jordanian police said, according to news reports. The precise number of those killed and wounded in the attacks was not known late on November 9 as Jordanian authorities continue to revise the numbers.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the bombings "a great tragedy. It again shows that people will take innocent life without any remorse."
In a statement issued November 9 by the State Department, she said: “The United States has had no closer ally than Jordan in the war on terror, and Jordan will find no better friend than the United States at this difficult hour. America has offered Jordan whatever assistance and support it may need in response to this horrific attack. We will stand together, unwavering, to defeat the evil that threatens our people and way of life.”
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also strongly condemned the terrorist bombings in a statement issued by his office November 9. In meetings November 8 and November 9 with Saudi and Egyptian authorities, Annan had stressed the need for member states “to adopt a comprehensive convention against terrorism as soon as possible,” according to the statement.
HOTELS WITH AMERICAN BRAND NAMES TARGETED
The first explosion occurred at the luxurious, nine-story Grand Hyatt Amman about 8:50 p.m. local time (1850 GMT), followed by a second explosion at the Radisson SAS and then another at the Days Inn minutes later, Jordanian authorities told the news media. All hotels are within a short distance of each other.
The Grand Hyatt has 316 guest rooms and 50 luxury residential apartments in the adjoining Hyatt Tower. The hotel is located in the heart of Amman’s business and diplomatic district on Hussein Bin Ali Street. The five-star Radisson SAS has 260 guest rooms, and the Amman Days Inn, the newest of the three hotels, has 112 rooms.
The three hotels that were targeted all bear American brand names and are frequented by westerners, but were locally owned.
The last major terrorist attack was the July 7 bombings of the London transit system that killed 56 people, including four suicide bombers. (See related article.)
The most recent major attack linked to the transnational terrorist group al-Qaida was the Madrid, Spain subway bombings that killed 191 people on March 11, 2004.
