[RaceBannon]

"The bomb, had it been detonated, could have affected people in a one-kilometer radius and cause the deaths of up to 20,000 people," Jordanian officials told Maariv.

According to United Press International, the al-Qaida car was intercepted just 75 miles from the Syrian border and "carried explosives, a chemical bomb and poisonous gas."

The discovery of the al-Qaida WMD plot is sure to renew speculation that some of Saddam Hussein's missing weapons of mass destruction were hidden in Syria before the U.S. attacked in March 2003, and have now found their way into al-Qaida's hands.

As of Saturday morning, the White House had not commented on the al-Qaida WMD plot and its possible ties to Iraq.

[nuconvert]

VERY Interesting....Thanks for posting

[DainBramage]

Just keep wondering if the bomb was headed for Israel via Jordan.

[Solamente]

WHO caught them 75 miles from the Syrian border? Does this have something to do with the US firefight, also near the Syrian border?

[I_dmc]

Hmm, 75 miles from Syrian border. Gee, wonder where those WMD came from?

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

al-Qaida plotters planned to launch a WMD attack against a Jordanian Military Intelligence installation, the U.S. Embassy in Amman and a government building

Gov't building, hmm, like the Royal Palace, for instance? This is big news, could get more interesting...

[hershey]

Uh, think Jordan will help us out a bit more in the war against whackoterrorists now that they know they have a big fat red target painted on their behinds?

[hershey]

Saddam's WMD's hidden in Syria, my, my, what a novel idea. I wonder how the Hamas' leader's assassination will play out now. It's a lot like poking a stick in a hornets' nest. Enraged, (fury invites carelessness and haste), they'll come out and attack anything. We should be able to nab or stop a lot of it, and kill a great many more. On the other hand, they may decide to kidnap westerners on a grand scale, tape a few killings and have Al Jazeera act as their p.r. agent--as usual. Then the UN will condemn Israel and Bush. Meanwhile, Teraysa Heinz-Kerry will continue to badmouth America, and Kerry will be forced to beg her to 'sit down and shut the hell up.'

[judywillow]

"The bomb, had it been detonated, could have affected people in a one-kilometer radius and cause the deaths of up to 20,000 people," Jordanian officials told Maariv.

That also says they'd have had tens of thousands if not a couple of hundred thousand others permanently injured and maimed.

[Conservative Me]

From FoxNews: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117414,00.html

Officials: Chemical Attacks Thwarted in Jordan

Sunday, April 18, 2004

AMMAN, Jordan — An Al Qaeda (search)-linked terrorist cell recently dismantled in Jordan was plotting to detonate a chemical bomb capable of killing thousands of people and to attack the U.S. Embassy and prime minister's office with poison gas, officials said Saturday.



Officials close to the investigation told The Associated Press that several terror suspects arrested in Jordan last month have confessed the plots were hatched by Jordanian militant Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi (search), thought to be a close associate of Al Qaeda boss Usama bin Laden.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the terrorist cell was planning to attack Jordan's secret service — the General Intelligence Department — with a chemical bomb that would have killed as many as 20,000 people and caused large-scale destruction within a half-mile radius.

Jordan's King Abdullah II (search) said this week in a published letter of thanks to his intelligence chief, Gen. Saad Kheir, that the arrests of the terror cell members have "saved thousands of lives."

In his letter, Abdullah said that had the chemical bomb plot not been uncovered, Jordan would have seen "a crime that would have been unprecedented in the country in terms of the size of explosives mounted on the vehicles and the methods of carrying out the attacks or the civilian locations chosen."

On Saturday, the officials told the AP that the terror cell was also apparently planning to carry out simultaneous poison gas attacks against foreign diplomatic missions, including the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy in Amman, vital Jordanian public establishments like the prime minister's office and unspecified civilian targets.

They declined to elaborate, but stressed the plot had been foiled with the arrests late last month and earlier this month of an unspecified number of terrorist suspects.

Jordanian officials say the arrests occurred after suspected militants entered Jordan from neighboring Syria in at least three vehicles filled with explosives, detonators and raw material to be used in bomb-making.

Syrian officials have denied the claims.

Among those arrested last week were two Palestinian militants identified as Suleiman Darweesh and Muwafaq Adwan, thought to be close associates of al-Zarqawi.

Another Palestinian militant, Azmi al-Jayoussi, is thought to be at large.

U.S. officials have offered a $10 million reward for al-Zarqawi's capture, saying he is trying to build a network of foreign militants in neighboring Iraq to work on Al Qaeda's behalf.

Al-Zarqawi is suspected of connection to about a dozen high-profile attacks in Iraq, including the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in August and Shiite religious ceremonies last month. Moroccan authorities believe he may have helped guide the Madrid train bombings. U.S. and Jordanian law enforcement say he funded the Oct. 2002 assassination of a U.S. diplomat in Jordan.

Jordan, a moderate Arab nation with close ties to America and a peace treaty with Israel, has been targeted by Al Qaeda and other terrorists. Twenty-two Islamic extremists were convicted of plotting to attack U.S. and Israeli tourists during the kingdom's millennium celebrations.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Fortunately there are no WMD in the middle east. Sadaam destryed them before they could be transferred to his friends. I have it on good authority that these were bought on EBay.

[WorkingClassFilth]

^

[RGSpincich]

FOX has a less intriguing story. Saying the plot was foiled some time ago.

[TheBattman]

Any suggestion where these chemicals might have originated???

Could not have POSSIBLY been from Iraq, could they????

Not that it really matters at this point....

[agincourt1415]

I wonder is this will break on Monday?

[highlander_UW]

"I think there has been an exaggeration," Mr. Kerry said when asked whether President Bush has overstated the threat of terrorism. "They are misleading all Americans in a profound way." - John Kerry 1/29/04

[PISANO]

I have NOT heard the name AL Qaeda used for those who tried to do this bombing on FOX NEWS. I can't vouch for other news outlets.