Iraq's US governor said today there were no firm suspects in the bombing of the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad but that Islamists linked to al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein loyalists were under suspicion.
Paul Bremer, the most senior US civilian official in the country, told a news conference Ansar al-Islam, an Islamist group once based in Iraq's Kurdish north was among "terrorist" groups theUS occupiers were tracking after Thursday's bombing.
But he would not identify a prime suspect and saidsupporters of Saddam's ousted Baathist government could alsohave carried out the truck bomb attack, which killed at least 17people and wounded dozens.
"We know we have a terrorist threat in this country. Amongthe groups we are concerned about, Ansar al-Islam is high on thelist," he said, when asked whether the group was suspected ofthe attack.
"It's possible that some of the groups responsible forattacks on Coalition forces, the Fedayeen Saddam, elements ofthe former intelligence services, some Baathists who are notaccepted in the new Iraq, it's possible some of them could haveconducted this kind of attack," he said.
"I frankly have not reached a conclusion yet."
In making its case for war on Iraq, Washington cited linksbetween Ansar al-Islam and Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian withties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network who is accused ofplotting the murder of a US diplomat in Amman last year.
Kurdish fighters backed by US special forces said theyrouted the group in an attack on its mountainous stronghold inKurdish territory near the Iranian border in April, butofficials of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq say ithas regrouped in Baghdad over the last few weeks.
Saddam loyalists appear to have concentrated their attackson US troops. Jordan long maintained close ties to Baghdadunder Saddam and a week ago gave refuge to two of his daughters.
But this year, Jordan also quietly supported Washington'smilitary campaign to oust him.
Bremer said FBI agents had arrived in Baghdad to probe theblast. Witnesses saw agents helping comb wreckage in thescorched embassy compound on Saturday.
"There actually were some FBI agents already in Iraq, whohave begun working under the general direction of the Iraqipolice in this investigation," he said.
"The Iraqi police retain authority and jurisdiction in thismatter. It's a crime on Iraqi soil."