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2005 Amman bombings

SOLVED1999Amman, Jordan3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Archival record

On the evening of 9 November 2005, three coordinated suicide bomb attacks struck hotel lobbies in Amman, Jordan, beginning at around 20:50 local time at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The other targets were the Radisson SAS Hotel and the Days Inn, all venues known to be frequented by foreign diplomats. The attacks killed 57 people and injured 115 others, according to revised Jordanian government figures, after an initial higher toll was announced and later corrected.

At the Radisson SAS, two suicide bombers — a married couple, Ali Hussein Ali al-Shamari and Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi — entered the Philadelphia Ballroom, where a wedding attended by around 900 Jordanian and Palestinian guests was underway. Al-Rishawi's explosive belt failed to detonate; she left the room, and al-Shamari then detonated his own explosives, killing 38 people, including the fathers of both the bride and groom. The blast destroyed the ballroom and caused extensive damage to the hotel lobby.

At the Grand Hyatt, roughly 500 yards away, a bomber detonated his device after briefly leaving the hotel's coffee shop, killing seven hotel employees along with Syrian-American film producer Moustapha Akkad and his daughter Rima. At the Days Inn, a bomber struggled to detonate his belt inside the restaurant, fled outside after being noticed by a waiter, and then detonated himself, killing three members of a Chinese military delegation.

Victims included 36 Jordanians (mostly wedding guests), six Iraqis, five Palestinians, four Americans, two Palestinian citizens of Israel, two Bahrainis, three Chinese military delegates, one Saudi national, and one Indonesian citizen. Among the Palestinian dead were several senior officials, including a West Bank military intelligence chief and a Preventive Security official.

Jordanian authorities identified three dead suicide bombers — Ali Hussein Ali al-Shamari, Rawad Jassem Mohammed Abed, and Safaa Mohammed Ali — all identified as Iraqi nationals. On 13 November 2005, King Abdullah announced the arrest of Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, the surviving would-be bomber, whose belt had failed to detonate at the Radisson. Jordanian officials stated she was the sister of a close aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which claimed responsibility for the attacks. Al-Rishawi was executed in February 2015, in response to the killing of a Jordanian air force pilot by ISIL.

The bombings prompted a domestic outpouring of anger in Jordan, including public protests, and drew international condemnation from the United Nations and the United States, among others. Jordan's government pledged new anti-terrorism measures following the attacks.

Key facts

Victims
Moustapha Akkad, Abed Allun, Mosab Khorma, Rima Akkad, Husam Fathi Mahajna, Jihad Fatouh, Bashir Nafeh
Date
1999
Location
Amman, Jordan
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1999-12-12

    Jordanian police foil an earlier plot targeting the Radisson hotel, arresting Khadr Abu Hoshar and 15 others (2000 millennium attack plots).

  2. 2005-11-09

    Coordinated suicide bombings occur at the Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS, and Days Inn hotels in Amman, killing 57 and injuring 115.

  3. 2005-11-12

    Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher confirms the attackers were Iraqi and that there were three suicide bombers.

  4. 2005-11-13

    King Abdullah announces the arrest of Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, the surviving would-be fourth bomber.

  5. 2005-11-19

    The Grand Hyatt hotel reopens after cleanup.

  6. 2015-02

    Sajida al-Rishawi is executed in Jordan in response to the killing of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh by ISIL.

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People

  • Moustapha Akkad

    VICTIM

    Syrian-American film producer killed in the Grand Hyatt bombing.

  • Abed Allun

    VICTIM

    Colonel and high-ranking Palestinian Preventive Security forces official, killed in the attacks.

  • Mosab Khorma

    VICTIM

    Senior Palestinian-American banker and former Paltel CEO, killed in the attacks.

  • Safaa Mohammed Ali

    CHARGED

    Identified by Jordanian authorities as the suicide bomber at the Days Inn hotel; died in the attack.

  • Ali Hussein Ali al-Shamari

    CHARGED

    Identified by Jordanian authorities as the suicide bomber who detonated explosives at the Radisson SAS Hotel; died in the attack.

  • Rima Akkad

    VICTIM

    Daughter of Moustapha Akkad, killed alongside him in the Grand Hyatt bombing.

  • Husam Fathi Mahajna

    VICTIM

    Businessman from Umm al-Fahm and Palestinian Arab citizen of Israel, killed in the attacks.

  • Rawad Jassem Mohammed Abed

    CHARGED

    Identified by Jordanian authorities as the suicide bomber at the Grand Hyatt Hotel; died in the attack.

  • Jihad Fatouh

    VICTIM

    Commercial attache at the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo, killed in the attacks.

  • Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi

    CONVICTED

    Would-be suicide bomber at the Radisson SAS whose explosive belt failed to detonate; arrested, later executed in Jordan in February 2015.

  • Bashir Nafeh

    VICTIM

    Palestinian Major-General and head of military intelligence in the West Bank, killed in the attacks.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Hotel bomb damage, Jordan

    archival location

    Hotel bomb damage, Jordan

    FBI · Public domain · Source

Places

Amman, Jordan

31.9497, 35.9328

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 9 November 2005, three coordinated suicide bombers attacked hotel lobbies in Amman, Jordan — the Grand Hyatt, the Radisson SAS, and the Days Inn — killing 57 people and injuring 115. Al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility; one attacker, Sajida al-Rishawi, survived after her explosive belt failed and was later arrested and executed in 2015.
Where did the crime happen?
Amman, Jordan.
Who was convicted?
Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi (Would-be suicide bomber at the Radisson SAS whose explosive belt failed to detonate; arrested, later executed in Jordan in February 2015.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Jordan

Sources

  1. 2005 Amman bombingswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — CNNnews · CNN · 2026-07-07