Jordanian authorities say they foiled an Al Qaeda plot to attack shopping malls and Western diplomatic missions using suicide bombers, booby-trapped cars and rockets smuggled in from Syria on a date terrorists dub “9/11 the second.”
Some 11 suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants were arrested for what would have been the terror group’s first attack since a triple hotel bombing in Amman almost seven years ago, which killed 60 people, the government said Sunday. Al Qaeda has targeted Jordan because of the government’s alliance with the United States and its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. The foiled plot was to take place on Nov. 9, seven years to the day after the Amman attacks. While American tradition lists numeric dates by month, day and year – hence Sept. 11 is known as 9/11 – the international protocol is day, month and year, meaning Nov. 9 is noted as 9/11.
A Jordanian official told the BBC “this was an al-Qaeda plot timed for the anniversary of the Amman attacks. The plotters “had planned to bring TNT explosives and mortar shells from Syria,” state news agency Petra said. The goal was to “create a highly destructive explosive that would cause the highest number of casualties and extensive physical damage,” Petra reported.
