Jordanian queen joins protest against terrorism

Queen Rania joined at least 20,000 Jordanians in a street protest Thursday against a failed plot by an al-Qaida-linked terror cell to launch attacks in the capital, Amman, which officials say would have killed tens of thousands.

The queen, wearing a white and orange shirt and blue jeans, held hands with students during the two-mile march that ended at the parliament building.

The protest was the largest in recent history and attracted tribal leaders, businessmen, political activists, Muslim and Christian clerics and students from across the kingdom.

It followed the airing on state TV of a 20-minute video carrying confessions of suspected terrorists who said they were plotting al-Qaida’s first chemical bomb attack in Amman against Jordan’s secret service building.

Other bombing targets included the US embassy and the prime minister’s office.

The queen released a statement saying: “I believe the silent majority has started to speak out against terrorism in a first-of-its-kind demonstration in the Arab and Muslim world on this scale.”