ABU Musab al-Zarqawi rose from the life of a street thug in Jordan to become the symbol of ‘holy war’ in Iraq, masterminding the bloodiest suicide bombings of the insurgency, beheading hostages and helping push Iraq into a spiral of sectarian violence with vicious attacks against Shi’ites.

MEMBERS of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s family were yesterday mourning the death of the notorious terrorist leader killed in Iraq.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi rose from the life of a street thug in Jordan to become the symbol of “holy war” in Iraq, masterminding the bloodiest suicide bombings of the insurgency, beheading hostages and helping push Iraq into a spiral of sectarian violence with vicious attacks against Shiites.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s elder brother today said today the family had anticipated the death of the notorious al-Qaida in Iraq leader for some time.

More than 370 members of the clan of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi joined his family today in publishing a full-page letter in Jordan’s newspapers that disowns the most notorious terrorist in Iraq.

Family members of Jordanian-born al Qaida in Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have renounced the terror leader, telling King Abdullah II today that they would “sever links with him until doomsday".

The terror leader blamed for executing and beheading hostages in Iraq is a nice man who could not kill women and children, his wife said today.

A Jordanian truck driver opened fire on a crowd of tourists crossing into Israel today, wounding five, in an attack near the Red Sea resort of Eilat that until now has been untouched by three years of Mideast violence.

Authorities in Jordan have foiled two recent Iraqi attacks, including one by Iraqi diplomats allegedly planning to contaminate water supplies to Jordanian and US troops on the desert border with Iraq.

The father of the man believed to have blown himself up outside a Tel Aviv disco, killing 19 teenagers, today said he was ‘‘proud’’ of his son’s actions.