Jordan foils major al-Qaida terror plot, arrests 11

Jordanian state TV: suspects plotted attack in Amman using weapons smuggled from Syria, in effort to destabilize security.

By REUTERS
Suicide Bomber Terrorist 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Suicide Bomber Terrorist 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Jordan foiled a major plot by an al Qaida-linked cell to destabilise the key US ally's security by bombing shopping centers and assassinating Western diplomats, state television said on Sunday.
Security forces detained 11 suspects in connection with a plot going on since June to carry out attacks in the capital Amman using smuggled weapons and explosives brought from Syria, according to security officials cited by television.
"Their plans included getting explosives and mortars from Syria," a security source told Reuters.
The attacks, aimed at western and commercial areas, would likely have resulted in the death of thousands, according to Jordanian authorities.
The security source said the suspects had manufactured explosives "aimed at inflicting the heaviest human losses possible."
Jordan is a key US ally in the Middle East and Israel's peace partner. The Arab kingdom has often been targeted by al-Qaida and other Islamic militants. It regularly arrests terror suspects and puts them on trial.