Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Islamic insurgents praise Amman attack
Regional, Security, Insurgency
The Mujahedeen Shura Council in Iraq, an umbrella organization for several Islamic militant groups including al-Qaeda in Iraq, praised the gun attack on tourists in Amman on Monday in an internet statement. The council did not claim they had carried out the attack and encouraged young Muslims to follow in the attacker's footsteps. A Jordanian government spokesman, Nasser Judeh, said investigations showed that the gunman, Nabeel Ahmed Issa Jaourah, a Palestinian refugee who has Jordanian nationality, 38, was not linked to any (terror) organisation, domestic or foreign. It is believed his motives were revenge for the killing of members of his family in 1980 in an Israeli strike on Lebanon.
Two of the wounded tourists — one British and the other Australian — were released from Prince Hamza Hospital on Tuesday. A 28-year-old woman from New Zealand, who underwent surgery, was expected to be hospitalised for several days. There was no immediate information on the condition of the two other wounded tourists and the police officer.
