***updated***

Via Reuters/Yahoo (hat tip: LGF):

At least five people were killed and more than 52 others wounded on Wednesday in blasts at two international hotels in the Jordanian capital, Amman, witnesses said.

A blast at the Radisson hotel killed at least five and wounded more than 12, Reuters witnesses said. The blast was caused by a bomb placed in a false ceiling, police sources at the scene told Reuters.

A separate blast shook the Hyatt Hotel in the capital, wounding at least 40, some seriously, a Reuters witness said.

Jeff Goldstein notes:

Not to make too obvious a connection, but Zarqawi is, of course, Jordanian. And the simultaneous nature of the blasts suggests Al Qaeda involvement.

On a related note, these hotels are all popular with both foreign journalists, security professionals, wealthy Jordanian businessmen, and Israelis. Not that any of that matters to Al Qaeda. They’ll slaughter anyone.

Athena at Terrorism Unveiled, who studied in Jordan, weighs in:

Amman is a beautiful city–not just the pictures, but the people. I can’t express how angry this makes me. I have friends there in Jordan, I pray to God they are safe. Last year around this time, I was in and out of the Hyatt, as other hotels, using their internet connections.

This will backfire for these terrorists. The people of Jordan will protest this, most likely in the capital. Pictures of Zarqawi will burn.

422pmEDT. Latest from AP:

Suicide Bombers Kill 23 at Jordan Hotels
Nov 09 4:19 PM US/Eastern
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By JAMAL HALABY
Associated Press Writer

AMMAN, Jordan

Suicide bombers attacked three hotels frequented by Westerners in the Jordanian capital Wednesday night, and at least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the near-simultaneous explosions, police said.

Maj. Bashir al-Da’aja said officials believe all three blasts were carried out by suicide bombers. The explosions indicated the involvement of al-Qaida, which has launched coordinated attacks on high-profile, Western targets in the past, a police official said.

One explosion occurred in a wedding hall where 300 guests were celebrating.

Photos and updates at The Counterterrorism Blog.

Oh, brother: It’s all Bush’s fault.

(Hat tip: The Anchoress)