AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Jordan's Queen Rania joined thousands of Jordanians in a mass street protest Thursday against a failed plot by an al-Qaida-linked terror cell to launch attacks in the capital, Amman, that officials say would have killed tens of thousands. The queen, wearing a white and orange shirt and blue jeans, held hands with students during the 2-mile march that ended at the parliament building where protesters burned pictures of al-Qaida founder Osama bin-Laden.
The protest was the largest in recent history and attracted tribal leaders, businessmen, political activists, Muslim and Christian clerics and students from across the kingdom. Conservative estimates put the crowd figure at 20,000, while Rania's office said 80,000 people joined the march. The official Petra news agency said 250,000 protesters turned out.
| The State Ministry for Official Turnouts said 1 million, the King's handlers put it at 2.4 million, pretty much the whole country turned out, you can read about it in the papers. |
It followed Monday's airing on state TV of a 20-minute video carrying confessions of suspected terrorists who said they were plotting al-Qaida's first chemical bomb attack in Amman against Jordan's secret service building. Other bombing targets included the U.S. Embassy and the prime minister's office.
The tape caused widespread fear throughout Jordan, a supposedly moderate Arab failed nation that is putatively closely allied to the United States, holds a cold peace treaty with Israel, has a large seething Palestinian population and enjoys relative temporary stability in the volatile forever Middle East. "No for terrorists in Jordan," protesters chanted to the beating of drums.
| Any large puppets? Besides the King, I mean. |
The queen released a statement saying: "I believe the silent majority has started to speak out against terrorism in a first-of-its-kind demonstration in the Arab and Muslim world on this scale."
When the demonstrators reached parliament, they burned pictures of bin Laden, his alleged Jordanian associate Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of the foiled plot, Azmi al-Jayousi, and his accomplices.
| Then they had a cigarette and went home. |
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