Terrorist sympathies shattered as Jordan rallies around king

Recovering in her hospital bed from shrapnel wounds incurred during the worst terrorist violence in Jordanian history, Sanaa Tas, 52, could not fathom why fellow Muslims had targetted the wedding she was attending at Amman's Radisson SAS Hotel for a suicide bombing.

'Why are they doing this?' she asked. 'If they want to kill the enemy, Israel is here. But why us?' Ms Tas' shock over the triple bombings on November 9 that killed 57 people at hotels in the capital, Amman, has been widely shared in normally tranquil Jordan. The attacks were claimed by al-Qaeda, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of the insurgency against US forces in Iraq and the Shi'ite and Kurdish dominated government in Baghdad.

Amid revulsion like that of Ms Tas', Jordanians are rallying around King Abdullah II. Zarqawi's cause, which has enjoyed popularity in Jordan, is suffering a backlash.

'Zarqawi made a critical error by causing casualties among Jordanians. Targetting a wedding party did not go over well,' said Joost Hiltermann, the Amman-based Middle East project director for the International Crisis Group. 'On balance the regime has emerged from this stronger.'

Three Chinese citizens were killed in the bombings and one was wounded. They were part of a delegation from China's University of National Defence, which stayed in one of the hotels, according to Xinhua. The three fatalities were identified as Sun Jingbo, 41, Pan Wei, 44, and Zhang Kangping, 42. Yao Liqiang, 42, suffered a leg fracture.

The main concern of Jordanians after the bombings has been the possibility of more attacks. At a rally against the bombings last week outside the Radisson SAS Hotel, university student Yazam Hijazin was asked if he feared more attacks. 'I have faith in my country, my government and police,' he said. 'But I'm really worried.'