Failed Jordan hotel bomber had three brothers killed by U.S. forces in Iraq
04:20:54 EST Nov 15, 2005
PAUL GARWOOD

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - The Iraqi woman who failed in her bid to blow up an Amman hotel had three brothers killed by U.S. forces, while Jordanian officials unveiled tough new anti-terror measures Tuesday.

The killings of Sajida Mubarak al-Rishawi's three brothers in Iraq's volatile Anbar province is being considered as a possible motivation behind her bid to take part in last week's triple bombings, which killed 60 people, including her husband and two Iraqi bombers.

Friends of al-Rishawi, who comes Anbar's provincial capital of Ramadi, told The Associated Press that three of her brothers were killed by U.S. forces.

Thamir al-Rishawi, regarded as a known member of a terror cell of the group "al-Qaida in Iraq" operating in Anbar, was killed during the U.S. operations in Fallujah.

Two other brothers, Ammar and Yassir, were killed in two separate attacks against U.S. troops in Ramadi, said the friends, who declined to be identified further because they feared retribution from insurgent forces.

The would-be woman bomber was arrested Sunday in a safe house rented by her husband in a western Amman suburb.

She said in a televised confession that she wanted to join her husband in attacking the Radisson SAS hotel, but her explosives belt malfunctioned.

Her husband, identified as Ali Hussein Ali al-Shamari, did manage to detonate his bomb, however, killing more than 20 people attending a Jordanian-Palestinian wedding reception.

In a bid to stop further foreign militants operating covertly in Jordan, Interior Minister Awni Yirfas announced new regulations Monday demanding all Jordanians notify authorities within 48 hours of any non-Jordanian renting an apartment or house.

"Violators of this regulation will face legal ramifications," Yirfas said without elaborating.

Authorities will demand Jordanians provide the names, nationalities and passport details of any foreigner renting a property in the kingdom.

In a further response to the hotel bombings, Jordan has begun drafting tough new anti-terrorism laws, the country's first specifically targeting terror crimes, a top Interior Ministry official said.

The draft law, which will likely be ready for parliament debate early next year, will enable Jordanian authorities to hold any suspect for questioning indefinitely, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to the media.

The "al-Qaida in Iraq" group led by Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the Radisson SAS, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn hotel bombings, Jordan's deadliest ever terrorist attacks.