Jordan's King Abdullah has condemned the suicide bombers who attacked three international hotels in Amman, saying the victims were innocent civilians, many of them Jordanians. He and his wife, Queen Rania, spoke out on American television.
The bombings at Amman's Days Inn, Radisson, and Grand Hyatt hotels killed 57 people, including 30 Jordanians.
King Abdullah said Jordanians believe Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is responsible. The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi heads the terrorist group, al-Qaida in Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for the Amman attacks.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," program, the king said that these attacks were against Jordanian targets.
"(At) The Radisson hotel was a Jordanian wedding, with Jordanians and Palestinians, where innocent people were killed. So, this was nothing to do with the West. This targeted Jordanian citizens, innocent men, women and children," King Abdullah said.
The king said he thinks Jordanians support efforts to find those responsible for the crimes.
"And, if we know where they are, even if it is beyond the borders of Jordan, we will give it the best shot possible to bring these people to justice," King Abdullah said.
In Amman, Jordanian authorities have arrested a woman they believe was to be the fourth suicide bomber. Speaking on the ABC television program "This Week," Queen Rania said the suspect was captured on Sunday.
"So, we are hoping that she will be able to give us more clues and more understanding about who, exactly, this cell is, and how they managed to get into Jordan, and give us more details about the whole operation," Queen Rania said.
Queen Rania said she believes this act of violence has backfired on the terrorists.
"These terrorists, they think that by blowing us up and tearing us down, they can erode the ties that bind the civilized world. In fact, what they should realize is that they bring us closer together. They are uniting us together in a much stronger way, against terrorism and for peace," Queen Rania said.
