On the heels of previous reports of terrorist attempts to carry out chemical weapon (CW) attacks in Morocco, new information has been released by Jordanian authorities detailing the prosecution of suspects in a similar plot in Jordan. [1]

Jordanian sources have described the details of a thwarted plot that sought to attack American tourists with cyanide. A group of six men, all in their twenties, formed an impromptu terrorist cell called al-Khattab Brigades in early 2005. The members of this group are currently being prosecuted for “planning to carry out military operations against U.S. tourists frequenting hotels in Amman and Aqaba and attacks on bars using a toxic cyanide substance.” [2]

The cell was made up primarily of friends and colleagues. One member allegedly suggested the idea of conducting attacks to the others after attending religious classes at the al-Da’wah Center in the Hiteen Refugee Camp in Jordan. The group agreed and decided initially to attack patrons of liquor stores and bars by applying cyanide to doorknobs. [3]

Interrogations of the suspects revealed that the would-be terrorists learned how to utilize cyanide as a weapon by reading various Jihadi Internet postings and forums. [4] After discovering the lethality of cyanide, the members set out unsuccessfully to acquire the substance in local agriculture stores in Amman, where they discovered that the sale of this poisonous chemical was prohibited. [5] The cell members subsequently decided to conduct attacks using machine guns.

The six men, many of whom previously worked in hotels and nightclubs, kept in contact with each other and planned activities through the Internet. In September 2005, four of the six men were arrested and are currently being prosecuted; the two other members fled and are being tried in absentia. (On November 10, 2005, three hotels run by American chains were the target of deadly bombings in Amman. Jordanian sources quoted in the press did not indicate whether the cell seeking to conduct the CW attack was connected with these attacks.)

The cell’s interest in CW is not a surprising development. In the past two years, al-Qaeda outlets on the Internet have been instructing supporters on how to carry out terrorist attacks utilizing cyanide and other chemical and biological agents. On November 13, 2004, a posting on the al-Qaeda website al-Ma`asada al-Jihadiya instructed would-be terrorists on how to purchase and deploy cyanide. It stated, “Go to a place that sells poisons and ask about cyanide, which is very affordable. Then purchase some hand lotion at a supermarket, specifically the kind that opens pores. Take a teaspoon of cyanide and add some of the hand lotion and mix it well very carefully.” [6] Further, the instructions stated, “Put the poison in a glass container and watch out specifically for cars of Americans and other enemies, and apply some of the poison on the door handle. This should not be done in a clumsy way, but you should use a piece of cotton to properly apply…this poison on the inside and outside of the handle, to come in contact with the fingers of the enemy of God.” [7] Attempts to carry out terrorism using crude chemical, or biological, weapons are likely to increase in the future due to the proliferation of such instructions on the Internet.

Sammy Salama – Monterey Institute Center for Nonproliferation Studies