April 30, 2004
By Maggie Michael
Associated Press Writer

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A tape purportedly made by al-Qaida operative Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi acknowledged his group was behind a failed plot to destroy Jordan's secret service headquarters and warned the U.S.-allied government it faced "terrifying events."

But the speaker on the seven-minute audiotape aired Friday denied having a chemical weapon, as Jordanian officials claim. Jordanian state television has broadcast confessions by militants allegedly linked to al-Zarqawi in which they say the group was plotting al-Qaida's first chemical bomb attack.

The speaker on the tape, who introduced himself as Musab al-Zarqawi, called the allegation of a chemical bomb attack "a mere lie."

"God knows, if we did possess it, we wouldn't hesitate one second to use it to hit Israeli cities, such as Eilat and Tel Aviv," the speaker said.

The tape was broadcast on an Internet site known as a clearinghouse for statements by al-Qaida and other extremist groups. Excerpts also were broadcast by the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel.

Earlier this week, a purported al-Zarqawi statement appeared on the same Web site claiming responsibility for an April 24 suicide boat attack on Iraq's oil terminal in the Persian Gulf that killed three American service members..

The speaker on Friday's tape said the Jordanian General Intelligence building was targeted for attack because "Jordan has turned itself into a hidden base of supplies for the occupying army in Iraq."

The building also housed a "big database used by the enemy of Islam to track down holy warriors," the voice said. The speaker dubbed the structure the "Arabs' Guantanamo," referring to the prison for terrorist suspects at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba.

The voice on Friday's tape could not immediately be authenticated as that of al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian wanted by the United States for allegedly organizing terrorists to fight U.S. troops in Iraq on behalf of al-Qaida.

The United States has offered a $10 million reward for al-Zarqawi's capture. He is believed to be a close associate of Osama bin Laden and is known as an expert in poisons.

Al-Zarqawi also is blamed for orchestrating the 2002 assassination of U.S. aid worker Laurence Foley, 60, outside his Amman home. Al-Zarqawi was sentenced to death in absentia by a Jordanian military court.

Security forces smashed the terror cell plotting attacks against targets inside Jordan by arresting six militants in at least two raids over the past month, Jordanian officials said.

Four other militants died last week in a shootout with police in Amman.

The militants allegedly planned to strike other buildings in Amman, such as the U.S. Embassy and the prime minister's office, officials said.

The speaker on the tape said that while Jordan foiled this plot, his group has more in store for the kingdom.

"The battle between us and the Jordanian government has its ups and downs," he said. "Terrifying events are awaiting you."

He said the four men shown on Jordanian television had been tortured into confessing, and named Azmi al-Jayousi, the alleged leader of the plot, who confessed that he reported to al-Zarqawi.

"The torture marks on the face and hands of brother (al-Jayousi) were very obvious," the voice said.

In Tuesday's broadcast, al-Jayousi's right eye and cheek were slightly swollen, and he had scars on his right hand and scratches on his neck.

The discovery of the plots caused widespread fear in Jordan, a moderate Arab nation that is closely allied to the United States, has a peace treaty with Israel and enjoys relative stability in the volatile Middle East.

But the kingdom's close ties with the West have placed it in the cross-hairs of Islamic militants in the past.

Twenty-two Arab men were convicted in a terror plot that targeted U.S. and Israeli tourists in the 2000 millennium celebrations in Jordan.