Al Qaeda supporters in Iraq have claimed responsibility for the hotel bombings in Jordan that left 57 people dead and more than a 100 injured. A statement on an Islamist website said Iraqi militants led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi carried out three blasts at the Radisson, Hyatt and Days Inn hotels in Amman. The authenticity of the internet message could not be verified.

The near-simultaneous explosions turned crowded wedding parties into scenes of carnage at the Radisson and Hyatt hotels. The groom at one of the weddings had this message: “I lost my father, I lost my father in-law and a couple of friends as well. This is not Islam. This cannot help Arabs or Muslims.” Jordan briefly closed its borders after the bombings to stop suspects escaping, and security forces say scores of people have already been arrested in connection with the investigation.

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