The Jordanian security and judicial authorities have begun investigations of the explosion, which took place Thursday morning under the residence of the General Intelligence Department Anti Terrorism Unit head, Ali Burjak.
Sources told Albawaba.com that the authorities suspected the involvement of certain organizations which Burjak was investigating in the explosion and ruled out the possibility of any links with those involved in the credit facilities fraud case known as Majd al Shamayleh case.“The security authorities have detained a number of suspects,” press sources told Albawaba.com.
The bomb, which exploded at 7:30 Thursday morning, damaged the car of the intelligence officer’s wife and killed an Iraqi and an Egyptian. The explosion took place in Jabal Amman neighborhood between the second and third circle.
The Ministry of Interior issued a statement saying the explosion took place at 7:30 Thursday morning and the security authorities began the investigations immediately.
The Associated Press cited a police officer as saying that a bomb in a parked Toyota car exploded in a Jabal Amman neighborhood.
Eyewitnesses said the explosion damaged the car of the official’s wife and other six cars parked nearby.
Heavy security forces were deployed in the area and press reporters were denied access to the scene.
The Jordanian Intelligence Department and the anti terror unit in particular are known for their competency as they foiled a number of terrorist attempts inside and outside the kingdom planned by Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaeda network.
On October 16, 2001 the press cited a senior Jordanian official as saying that the Intelligence Department aborted many attempts to carry out terrorist attacks inside and outside the country including attacks against the embassies of the US and Britain in Amman and Beirut. The security sources also detained 10 radical Islamists linked with bin Laden over their conspiracy to carry out terror attacks against hotels in Aqaba, Petra, and at Alia International Airport. The arrests came after strict monitoring of persons suspected of their links with bin Laden terrorist network.
In 1998, the Jordanian authorities arrested a gang for their involvement in four bomb blasts. The gang was called Reform and Challenge and it was linked with bin Laden and said to have been financed by Abu Kutadah (Omar Abu Omar), a Jordanian of Palestinian origin who resides in Britain.Following that Jordan requested Britain to extradite Abu Kutadah.
In 1999, Jordan repeated the request twice following the dismantling of a network linked with bin Laden and financed by Abu Kutadah which was planning to launch a series of attacks in Jordan during the celebrations of the new millenium.
Abu Kutadah (40) was put on the terrorists list released by the US Treasury Department and the Spanish judicial authorities consider him the spiritual leader of the al Qaeda organization and its principal source of finance in Europoe.
On February 1, 2002 Jordan’s security court sentenced Raed Hijazi, an American extremist of Jordanian origin, to death over conspiracy for carrying out terrorist attacks against American and Israeli targets in the kingdom but it proved his innocence of links with al Qaeda.
Last month the Jordanian intelligence department arrested three members of the Lebanese Hisbullah party who were attempting to smuggle arms to the Palestinian lands. King Abdulla II refused to respond to an appeal by the Lebanese premier Rafiq al Hariri to release the three men.
It should be noted that in May 2000, the former American president Bill Clinton hailed the Jordanian Intelligence agency which gathered information about 15 plots to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe and the US well ahead of their scheduled dates during celebrations of the new millennium.
Also on December 28, 2001 the king confirmed in an interview that “with time we will be able to reveal more information and you will be amazed to know what the Jordanian Intelligence Agency has done to abort possible attacks against Americans and Jordanians inside the kingdom and in Europe.” (Albawaba.com)
