Jordan's King Abdullah II has promised to hunt down those behind the triple hotel bombings in Amman saying he will not allow the country's policies to be dictated by terrorists. "We will pursue those criminals and those who are behind them and we will reach them wherever they are," he said in a televised address to the nation on Thursday. "We will pull them from their holes and bring them to justice," the king said, without mentioning specific measures.At least 57 people were killed and up to 200 people were injured in Wednesday's bombings at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels in the Jordanian capital. Police say they believe suicide bombers carried out all three blasts, with the al-Qaida in Iraq group claiming responsibility for the attacks. In his address, the Jordanian monarch said that Jordan was not afraid and would not be "blackmailed" by the bombers. "We will confront these cowardly terrorist groups that have no religion or conscience. These acts will not make us change our positions and convictions," he said, nor would they force Amman "to retreat from our role in fighting terror in all its forms."
Most of the casualties were Jordanian nationals. Earlier Jordanian authorities announced they had arrested several people in connection with the bombings. "A number of suspects were arrested and a number of cars were seized in connection with the terrorist attacks," a Jordanian security official told the country's state-run Petra news agency. "The investigation with the suspects is under way," the unnamed source added, without revealing the exact number or identities of those arrested. Another Jordanian security source told AFP on Thursday that six vehicles were seized by the authorities soon after the attacks "including two that have Iraqi licence plates".