Jordan Questions Dozens Over Diplomat’s Slaying
Jordanian officials detained dozens of Muslim militants for questioning Tuesday but dismissed claims by a little-known group that it was responsible for the killing of U.S. diplomat Laurence Foley.
The group, calling itself Shurafaa al Urdun, or the Honorables of Jordan, sent a statement to the London-based Arabic daily Al Quds al Arabi on Monday saying Foley was killed to protest U.S. support for Israel and the “bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Jordanian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity dismissed the claim from Shurafaa al Urdun, which was unknown until last year when it claimed it was behind the killing of an Israeli businessman near where Foley lived. Security officials also rejected that claim.
A government official said dozens of militants known to police had been detained for questioning by intelligence officials. Some were later released and none were charged.
Foley, 60, an administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, was killed outside his home Monday.
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