Bush condemns hotel bombings in Jordan

US President George W. Bush on Thursday strongly condemned the hotel bombings that killed at least 57 people in Amman, Jordan, as the White House said the suicide bombings bore "the hallmarks of al-Qaeda."

"Today the world saw with horror the attacks on innocent people in Jordan by killers who defile a great religion," Bush told reporters at a White House meeting with visiting Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Bush said that he had called Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday to convey his deep concern and compassion for those who lost their lives and their families.

"The bombings should remind all of us that there is an enemy in this world that is willing to kill innocent people, willing to bomb a wedding celebration in order to advance their cause," Bush said, adding that "we have an obligation and a duty to remain strong, remain firm, and to bring these people to justice."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said earlier on Thursday that the United States did not know who was responsible for the attacks, but he stressed "it has the hallmarks of al-Qaeda."

Three suicide bombings ripped through three luxury hotels in Jordan's capital Amman on Wednesday night, killing at least 57 people and injuring about 100 others. The al-Qaeda terror group in Iraq led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for the bloody attacks in an Internet statement, but the authenticity of the statement has yet to be verified.

Source: Xinhua