The plotters trained at camps in Afghanistan, and met with mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq. It was to be Al Qaeda's first chemical attack, and the plan was to kill as many as 80,000 people with the blasts and the ensuing chemical cloud. Ironically, the success of targeted regimes at thwarting these attacks tends to hurt the cause of public awareness and support:
...the public appetite for stories about the al-Qaeda threat was waning. "One of the reasons that it hasn’t captured the public imagination is that it didn’t happen."We are also reaching something of a fatigue because of a massive amount of information relating to foreign plots and arrests. Another example is Saudi Arabia. You heard of the attacks on Saudi Arabia this week, but what is not noticed is that the Saudis are seizing vehicles on a weekly basis filled with explosive. Last week there were five. To stay on top of this is a massive analytical exercise."
The goal of course was nothing short of toppling the Jordanian regime. They detest any Arab ruler who has reached any sort of accommodation with Israel:
"It should not be such a surprise," he said. "Jordan is the prize possession of regime change for al-Qaeda, because it is right next door to Israel. It has a peace process with Israel, and it is one of the regions that al-Qaeda would like to destabilise."
Lots more details of the plot in this article from The Scotsman. (via The American Mind)
Posted by dan at May 1, 2004 10:06 PM