Almanar
15/01/2010 Jordanian security forces have arrested several suspects in connection with an apparent assassination attempt on Israeli diplomats, the A-Rad newspaper reported Friday.
Israeli and Jordanian security officials were cooperating to pinpoint those responsible for Thursday's attack in which a roadside bomb was detonated as two cars with Israeli diplomatic officials passed on the road from Amman to the Allenby Bridge.
Media outlets in Amman assessed that a "professional terror cell" was behind the attack, and warned that other similar assassination attempts would be made in the near future.
The Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera TV networks, meanwhile, reported that Jordanian authorities had arrested a cab driver on suspicion of planting the bomb. No organization immediately claimed responsibility for the failed attack.
The cars were carrying four Israelis from the embassy in Amman, and two security guards. No one was hurt. Israel's ambassador to Jordan, Daniel Nevo, was not in the vehicle. Israeli Radio reported that Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh phoned Nevo after the attack and expressed relief that no one had been injured.
After the bomb was detonated in an obviously well-planned attack some 20 kilometers from the border crossing, the cars reportedly sped to a nearby Jordanian Army base. The Jordanian Army clamped a closure on the area and carried out searches. Al Arabiya reported that one man was arrested.
"An explosive device exploded on the side of the road leading to the Jordan Valley," said Jordanian Information Minister Nabil Sharif. "This happened as some civilian vehicles were passing by, including two Israeli diplomatic cars. There were no injuries, and authorities have launched an investigation."
Two Jordanian security sources said the attack was aimed at a senior Israeli diplomat in Jordan. They said the attackers probably thought they were targeting the ambassador.
The personnel at the well-guarded embassy in Amman, where there are continuous warnings of possible attacks, generally travel back to the Zionist entity for the weekends in order to minimize security risks in Jordan. The embassy officials are also not allowed to leave the embassy premises without large security details.
Israeli officials who have been monitoring the probe into the attack are still uncertain as to the taxi driver's connection to the blast. Authorities in Tel Aviv estimate that more arrests can be expected soon.
According to Jordanian media reports, the blast left a giant crater with a 10-meter radius at the site of the explosion.
Jordanian authorities launched a probe into the incident in the wake of the blast, imposed a closure on the attack site, and raised the alert level of local security forces. A Jordanian source told Ynet that local troops dispatched to the scene of the blast escorted the unharmed Israeli diplomats to a nearby military base and later to the Allenby crossing.
Notably, a travel warning to Jordan issued by the Anti-Terrorism Bureau is still in place, based on a "concrete basic threat" against Israelis in the country. At this time, Israeli defense officials recommend that Israelis refrain from any visit or stay in Jordan.
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