Jordan uncovers al Qaeda plot to attack U.S. troops

[ECH1969]

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan has arrested 17 militants linked to the al Qaeda network in Iraq and an affiliated Saudi group who were plotting to attack U.S. military personnel in the kingdom, security sources said on Thursday.

They said interrogations of the suspects revealed six of them had ties to Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of the al Qaeda network in Iraq, while the others belonged to an underground Saudi group known as the Brigades of the Holy Shrines.

"They were planning attacks on foreign officers in the kingdom," said one security source, referring to a plot to attack U.S. military personnel who frequent five-star hotels while on leave from duty in neighboring Iraq.

Jordanian intelligence has stepped up its watch after receiving warnings of possible attacks against Western and Israeli targets in the kingdom following recent bomb attacks in London and the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-08-04T134759Z_01_N04110897_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-SECURITY-JORDAN-QAEDA-DC.XML

[wakeme2008]

1. Didn't Jordan get the memo those "affiliated Saudi" should have

been "affiliated Iranians"....

[Captain Hilts]

2. They must want military/economic aid. (nt)

[bemildred]

3. Yeah. It's payday. nt