HUSBAND AND WIFE SUICIDE BOMBERS

Nov 11, 7:37 AM (ET)

By PAUL GARWOOD


AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Police said Friday they had arrested 120 people, mainly Iraqis and Jordanians, in the nationwide manhunt for those behind the triple Amman hotel bombings. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed the bombings were carried out by four Iraqis - including a husband and wife team.

The al-Qaida in Iraq Internet statement was the third it had issued since the nearly simultaneous bombings Wednesday night at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels. Jordanian officials said the death toll stood at 57, excluding the bombers.

Jordanian authorities have not yet said with certainty that Iraqis were involved in Wednesday's attack, Jordan's deadliest ever, but speculation has been high that al-Zarqawi has been trying to spread his terror group's influence outside of Iraq.

"All of these are Iraqis from the land between the two rivers," the al-Qaida statement said, alluding to Iraq's ancient name, Mesopotamia. "They vowed to die and they chose the shortest route to receive the blessings of God."

The statement, signed in the name of the group's spokesman, Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, claimed the four Iraqi bombers included a husband and wife "who chose to accompany her husband to his martyrdom."

It was not possible to authenticate the claim's authenticity, but it appeared on a site which has included past al-Qaida statements.

So far, Jordanian police had said only that three suicide bombers - including one with an Iraqi accent - were behind the attacks.

Thousands of Jordanians, meanwhile, protested across Amman for a second day Friday to condemn the terror attacks and denounce al-Zarqawi.

"Al-Zarqawi you are a coward, Amman will remain safe," chanted some 3,000 protesters winding through Amman past the city's al-Husseini Mosque after midday prayers.