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Amman Bombings Reflect Zarqawi's Growing Reach
Abu Musab Zarqawi is shown in undated photos released in 2002 and 2004.
(AP)
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Wednesday's attacks in Amman were intended to be an indirect strike against Israel, analysts and counterterrorism officials said. In a statement asserting responsibility for the bombings, Zarqawi's network called the hotels "playgrounds for Jewish terrorists" and said they were frequented by Israeli intelligence agents.
One reason Zarqawi has pledged to overthrow the Jordanian monarchy is that it signed a peace treaty with Israel. In his bid to destabilize Jordan and pressure U.S. forces to leave Iraq, Zarqawi hopes to weaken Israel as well, counterterrorism officials and analysts said.
"The real goal of Zarqawi is to banish Israel from the region, or even annihilate Israel," Ernst Uhrlau, intelligence coordinator for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said at a security conference in Berlin on Thursday. Uhrlau characterized the Amman attacks as an attempt by Zarqawi "to demonstrate the ability to act against Israel from inside Jordan."
European security officials have become increasingly worried that, given his increased stature in the Middle East, Zarqawi might begin to shift his focus to the so-called far enemy as well.
Last month, four Zarqawi acolytes were convicted in Duesseldorf of plotting attacks against Jewish targets in Germany in 2002. Testimony showed that some of them were in regular phone contact with Zarqawi and raised money on his behalf.
The presiding judge, Ottmar Breidling, said there was no doubt who was behind the plots. "Abu Musab Zarqawi should also be sitting on the defendants' bench," he said in court.
Zarqawi has been sentenced in absentia to death for other terrorism plots in Jordan.
Some European intelligence officials said they fear that Zarqawi is becoming a galvanizing figure for Islamic radicals and could eventually take the place of bin Laden as the symbolic head of the movement.
August Hanning, president of Germany's foreign intelligence service, said there were signs of increased numbers of Islamic extremists going to Iraq from Europe to fight for Zarqawi, not because his network had recruited them directly, but merely because his success inspired them to join.
"He functions as a role model. There are groups that believe it is a great honor to be able to carry out attacks in his name," Hanning said at the Berlin conference Thursday. "We have seen how numerous groups, who -- on their own initiative -- have tried to make contact with Zarqawi to work together."
