Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN7594
2003-11-22 17:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

AQABA CROSSING SHOOTING, RIYADH AND ISTANBUL

Tags:  PGOV ASEC PTER JO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007594 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2013
TAGS: PGOV ASEC PTER JO
SUBJECT: AQABA CROSSING SHOOTING, RIYADH AND ISTANBUL
BOMBINGS, INCREASE TENSIONS IN JORDAN

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b and d)

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SUMMARY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007594

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2013
TAGS: PGOV ASEC PTER JO
SUBJECT: AQABA CROSSING SHOOTING, RIYADH AND ISTANBUL
BOMBINGS, INCREASE TENSIONS IN JORDAN

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b and d)

--------------
SUMMARY
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1. (C) In the aftermath of the shooting of foreign tourists
at the southern Jordanian-Israeli border and bombings in
Riyadh and Istanbul, Jordan is in a state of heightened alert
as the country prepares for the week-long holiday marking the
end of Ramadan. Security authorities believe the Jordanian
truck driver who killed one foreign tourist and injured
several others in a shooting rampage at the southern
Jordanian-Israeli border area on November 19 acted alone, but
the incident underscores the difficulty in guarding against
such random acts of violence. Meanwhile, some Jordanians are
beginning to express fear for their personal security,
particularly after the bombing of a residential compound in
Riyadh that housed mainly Arabs. Several predicted worse is
yet to come and expressed their (unsubstantiated but still
felt) fear that Jordan "is due" for something big. End
Summary.

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JORDANIAN KILLS FOREIGN TOURIST, INJURES FOUR OTHERS
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2. (U) On November 19, a Jordanian truck driver believed to
be of Palestinian descent opened fire at the
Jordanian-Israeli border, wounding five members of a South
American tourist group before Israeli security guards shot
the gunman to death. One of the tourists later died from her
wounds. The Jordanian government immediately condemned the
attack. "This was an individual act by a sole gunman,"
declared GOJ spokesperson Asma Khader shortly after the
shooting. "The government condemns this incident and
Jordan's stance is clear against any acts of violence that
target civilians." She did not elaborate on the gunman's
motivations, saying only he was a "Jordanian citizen living
in Zarqa," a predominately Palestinian town northeast of
Amman.


3. (C) Public GOJ statements about the incident reflect the
assessment of RSO police contacts, who reported that the
gunman regularly transported cattle between Jordan and
Israel. They added that another Jordanian truck driver
injured in the incident was the gunman's assistant and may

have been sitting in the truck at the time of the shooting.
However, it is unknown whether the assistant, who according
to press was taken to a Jordanian hospital for treatment, was
involved in the attack.

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JORDANIANS BEEFING UP ALREADY TIGHT SECURITY
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4. (C) As a result of the attack and recent bombings in
Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Jordanian security authorities have
increased their already strong and visible presence in
Jordanian cities and roadways throughout the country.
Authorities will remain on alert in anticipation of
increasing numbers of Jordanian and foreign tourists flocking
to resort areas such as Aqaba, Petra, and the Dead Sea during
the coming weeklong 'Eid holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
Security services are taking steps to increase security at
softer targets, including hotels, schools, and residences.

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LOCALS ATTUNED TO RISING THREAT
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5. (C) Personal security concerns are no longer the purview
of foreigners in Jordan. Some Jordanians, shocked that Arab
women and children were among the dead and wounded in the
bombing of a residential compound in Riyadh earlier this
month, are beginning to express fear for their own safety in
Jordan. During a recent dinner party with a group of
twenty-something, mostly Western-educated, young Jordanians,
a significant part of the conversation focused on their
personal security fears. One young woman told poloff she had
a recurring nightmare of a hijacked plane crashing into
Amman. Another said that given Jordan's less than secret
support for the war in Iraq, close ties to the U.S., and
deplorable Palestinian situation, she believed Jordan "was
due" for a big attack. Several Jordanians inside and outside
government expressed the fear that given rising frustration
in the region over the political situation, worse is yet to
come.


6. (C) Despite the Riyadh bombing, many Jordanians believe
that Westerners will continue to be the primary target.
Several expressed the view that the bombers in Saudi Arabia
probably preferred an official Western target or a compound
housing Americans, but were deterred by stringent security.
Former Palace advisor, Jordanian-Palestinian Adnan Abu Odeh
opined that the bombers' willingness to target Arabs will
diminish their support base among Muslims who may have
thought in the past that terrorism was a justified means to a
legitimate political end. However, he said it also
demonstrates their increasing desperation, which in his view
makes them more dangerous.

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COMMENT
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7. (C) The attack in the southern Jordan-Israel border
crossing near popular tourist destinations of Aqaba and Eilat
-- an area thus far largely spared violence during the
three-year intifadah -- is disturbing. The attack
underscores the increasing threat of -- and difficulty in
protecting against -- spontaneous, random acts of violence
from ordinary Jordanians frustrated by politics or personal
circumstances.
GNEHM