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Jordanian arrests tied to rocket attacks
(CNN) -- Jordanian authorities have arrested several people they think might lead to the attackers who fired rockets at U.S. warships at the port of Aqaba, a Jordanian official said Saturday. The arrests were part of an investigation led by Jordanian authorities, with help from U.S. and Israeli officials. On Friday morning, three Katyusha rockets missed their apparent targets, but a Jordanian soldier was killed and another was wounded when one of the rockets flew over the USS Ashland's bow and struck a warehouse. The other rockets struck near a military hospital in Aqaba and in the the Israeli port city of Eilat, the Jordanian government said. No injuries were reported. The rockets were fired from an Aqaba warehouse, which had been rented a few days ago by four people of Iraqi and Egyptian nationalities, according to a news release from the Jordanian government. Katyusha rockets are typically fired from a military-type vehicle. A group calling itself al Qaeda in Levant and Egypt, the Martyr Abdallah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack and promised another in Tel Aviv, Israel. "Zionists are our rightful target. We bombed them in Taba [Egypt] and we attacked them today in Eilat and we will shake them up in Tal Al-Rabih [Tel Aviv in Arabic], God willing," according to a statement posted on an Islamist Web site. CNN is working to confirm the authenticity of the claim. The Martyr Abdallah Azzam Brigades is one of several groups that claimed responsibility for the October 2004 attacks in the Sinai, Egypt, tourist resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan, which killed 34 people. The White House late Friday condemned Friday's attack. "The United States will always make every effort to support and defend our servicemen and women in harm's way, as they protect the American people," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said. He said President Bush was informed of the attack during his regular briefings at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. The attack happened around 8:44 a.m. (1:44 a.m. ET) while the USS Ashland and the USS Kearsarge were in the region to conduct training exercises, the U.S. military said. The U.S. ships were in port so sailors could train with regional partners, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jeff Breslau told CNN. "It's very unusual for U.S. ships to be under attack in this part of the region." He said the U.S. military ships have left the port. Marines from the 26th Expeditionary Unit were on board the ships "in support of the global war on terrorism [and] Operation Iraqi Freedom," Breslau said. The massive 844-foot long, 40,500-ton USS Kearsarge is staffed with nearly 2,000 Marines and more than 1,000 sailors, according to its Web site. The smaller 609-foot long, 16,000-ton USS Ashland carries more than 400 Marines and more than 400 sailors. Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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