Jordan Captures Second Group of Terror Suspects

Jordanian authorities nabbed several suspected terrorists and seized two cars filled with explosives Saturday, state television reported.

Jordan Television, quoting an unidentified security source, carried a vaguely worded statement that said authorities were able to “foil the subversive and terrorist attempts which targeted the security and safety of the country.”

Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

On March 31, several terrorism suspects were detained when their vehicle, filled with explosives and detonators, was nabbed in a Jordanian town near the Syrian border, the government said. It said three additional suspects in two other cars got away.

Officials said the three vehicles entered Jordan from Syria, a claim that Damascus denies.

The suspects rounded up in March are believed to be affiliated with the Al Qaeda terrorist network, and interrogators are examining whether they are linked to Palestinian-Jordanian militant Abu Musab Zarqawi, government officials have said.

Those suspects have confessed to plotting a series of attacks in the kingdom, a close ally of the United States, officials have said. They said the targets included sensitive public offices, but did not elaborate. However, security has been visibly tightened around government offices, especially those of the prime minister and interior minister.

The U.S. Embassy has also significantly beefed up security.