Woman Suicide Bomber Appears on JTV

Saijida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi makes a confession on Jordanian television.

An Iraqi woman authorities believe intended to blow herself up in Wednesday’s attacks on hotels in Amman, Jordan, has been detained by police. Saijida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi accompanied her husband and two other suicide bombers, said Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher, but her explosives belt failed to detonate.

UPDATE: “My husband wore one [bomb] belt and I another – he told me how to use it,” Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi said.

What appeared to be a deactivated bomb belt was also shown on Jordanian TV.

“We went into the hotel,” the woman continued.

“He [my husband] took one corner and I took another. There was a wedding in the hotel. There were women and children.

“My husband executed the attack. I tried to detonate and it failed.” [BBC]

Jordanians watching the confession in a coffee shop

UPDATE 2: Transcript of Confession [in English]

“Sajida Mubarak Atrous [Al Rishawi] , born in 1970, an Iraqi national, living in Ramadi.

On November 5, I accompanied my husband to Jordan with a forged Iraqi passport, under the name of Ali Hussein Ali and Sajida Abdel Qader Latif.

We waited and a white car arrived with a driver and a passenger. We rode with them and entered Jordan [from Iraq]. My husband arranged our trip from there, I don’t know.

In Jordan, we rented an apartment. He had two explosive belts. He put one on me and wore the other. He taught me how to use it, how to pull the [primer cord] and operate it.

He said it was to carry attacks on hotels in Jordan. We rented a car and entered the hotel on November 9. My husband and I went inside the hotel, he went to one corner and I went to another.

There was a wedding at the hotel with children, women and men inside.

My husband detonated [his bomb], I tried to explode [my belt] but it wouldn’t.

I left, people fled running and I left running with them.�