U.S. uncertain arrested suspects were Bin Laden supporters

AMMAN -- Jordan has announced that several Algerian and Iraqi terrorist suspects have been arrested in what diplomatic sources said an attempt to strike U.S. targets over the holiday season.

Prime Minister Abdur Rauf Rawabdeh said on Wednesday that authorities arrested the suspects as they returned from training in Afghanistan. He said the suspects planned to launch attacks in Jordan. He did not elaborate.

But diplomatic sources said the reference was to training camps operated by Saudi billionaire Osama Bin Laden. They said the arrests sparked the United States to warns its nationals against terrorist attempts abroad during the millennium. Among the targets mentioned were Jerusalem and the Vatican.

U.S. officials are not certain whether the 12 suspects arrested actually intended to launch terrorist attacks against American citizens and targets. The officials, citing national security, had refused to name the Middle East country.

"At this point, we are not sure of anything, including who these people are," a diplomat said.

On Wednesday, the London-based Al Hayat daily quoted U.S. officials as expressing uncertainty that the suspects are members of the Al Qaida organization of Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden, accused of masterminding the bombing of two U.S. embassies in east Africa last year.

"We still don't have much information about these threats," an official told Al Hayat. "We assess that those behind the threats are members of Bin Laden's network."

On Tuesday, the United States warned the ruling Taliban faction in Afghanistan that it will be held responsible for any attacks on Americans by Bin Laden. The warning was relayed by State Department counterterrorism coordinator Michael Sheehan to Taliban representative in New York Abdul Hakeem Mujahid.

"We wanted to make sure they understood that their support in harboring the Bin Laden organization was noted here in the United States and any activity we would hold them responsible for,'' White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said.

In Washington, deputy State Department spokesman James Foley refused to provide details of the terrorist plans.

"We believe they are members of Osama Bin Laden's terrorist group, Al-Qaida," he said. "That network has a global reach as was demonstrated in the bombings of our embassies in Africa last year, and it is capable and determined to carry out deadly attacks against innocent persons -- again, as was demonstrated given the very heavy civilian loss of life in the embassy bombings in Africa.