Al-Qaida-linked figure says his group is targeting Jordan but denies plans to use chemical bomb

Friday, April 30th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) _ The purported voice of al-Qaida operative Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi said Friday his group did plan to blow up a Jordanian intelligence building, but not with chemical weapons as the authorities have alleged.

Jordanian state television has broadcast confessions of a group of plotters allegedly linked to al-Zarqawi who said they were plotting al-Qaida's first chemical bomb attack, which would have been directed against Jordan's secret service building in Amman and could have killed 80,000 people.

``The (allegation) that there was a chemical bomb to kill thousands of people is a mere lie,'' the reported voice of al-Zarqawi says on a tape broadcast via an Islamic site on the Internet.

``God knows, if we did possess (a chemical bomb), we wouldn't hesitate one second to use it to hit Israeli cities such as Eilat and Tel Aviv,'' the voice said.

The voice confirmed that the group did plan to attack the Jordanian intelligence building, calling it ``the source of all evils in our home.''

The speaker indicated that while the Jordanians have succeeded in foiling this particular plot, his group has more in store. The tape ends with the threat: ``The battle between us and the Jordanian government has its ups and downs. Terrifying events are awaiting you.''

``Yes, there was a plot to demolish the Jordanian General Intelligence building,'' the voice said. ``Jordan has turned itself into a hidden base of supplies for the occupying army in Iraq.''

The voice said the General Intelligence building in Amman is the ``Arabs' Guantanamo detention camp'' _ a reference to the prison for terror suspects at the U.S. Naval base in Cuba.

The building is a ``big data base used by the enemy of Islam to track down holy warriors,'' the tape said.

The speaker introduced himself as Musab al-Zarqawi. The voice could not be immediately 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.

Friday's audio tape was broadcast on a Web site known to be a clearinghouse for statements by al-Qaida and all other extremist groups. Earlier this month, a purported al-Zarqawi tape appeared on the same site.

The tape claimed the Jordanian authorities acted ``only for the sake of protecting their masters and the leaders of the Jews and Christians.''

U.S. officials have offered a $10 million reward for al-Zarqawi's capture.

Jordanian officials say the plot was foiled when security forces arrested six militants in at least two police raids since late March. Four other militants died in a shootout with police in Amman last week.

The plotters are alleged to have been planning to strike other buildings in Amman, such as the U.S. Embassy and the prime minister's office.

Jordanians held a mass demonstration against the plot on Thursday in which Queen Rania took part. The marchers carried banners pledging support for Jordan's royal family and chanted slogans against terrorism.

The discovery of the plot 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 Middle East.