The United States has warned that Al Qaida may be
planning to kidnap Americans in Jordan.
U.S. officials said the U.S. embassy in Amman issued the warning after receiving
information that Al Qaida was plotting abductions of Americans in
the Hashemite kingdom. They said available information suggests Al Qaida formulated the
plans in August.
On Sept. 26, the U.S. embassy issued what officials termed a "warden
message" to the American community in Jordan, Middle East Newsline reported.
The message said the U.S. government had received uncorroborated information
that reported a plot being considered by an Al Qaida operative to kidnap
U.S. citizens in Jordan.
Al Qaida has attempted to attack U.S. and Israeli
interests in Jordan on several occasions. The largest plot was in early 2000 when Al Qaida had
hired Palestinians to blow up bridges that connect Israel and Jordan where
U.S. Christians were arriving for millennium celebrations.
Jordanian officials have reported the arrest of several suspected Al
Qaida insurgents over the last few weeks. The officials said one of those
arrested was a U.S. national who returned from Afghanistan recently.
"There's no further information available to determine the credibility
of this threat or any indications of the timing," State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher said on Friday. "But they felt it was necessary and
appropriate to tell Americans resident in Jordan who might be subject to
this about it, just in case it turned out to be real."
Boucher said the decision to issue the alert was made by the U.S.
embassy in Amman.
"I think the standard has always been specific, credible, and cannot be
countered," Boucher said. "But we have also tried to be prudent in making
available information where we could, so that people, particularly who live
in places where there may be dangers from time to time, so that they have
the best sense Ñ as much information as they can."
