Jordan Airline Offices Hit by Grenade Blasts

Assailants believed to be Arab terrorists hurled grenades into the offices of Jordan’s national airline in Rome, Athens and Nicosia today, injuring five employees in what appeared to be a coordinated protest against peace efforts by Jordan’s King Hussein.

Grenade fragments injured two employees of the Alia airline offices in Rome and the director and two other employees in the Athens office. No injuries were reported in the Cyprus attack. None of the victims were seriously injured.

The attacks apparently were linked to Arab hard-liners who oppose recent efforts by Hussein and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to promote new Middle East peace talks involving the United States.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but police spokesmen in Rome and Nicosia speculated that the three terrorist attacks were the work of an Arab group. Witnesses told police at each location that the terrorists appeared to be Arabs.