Jordan's security forces have revealed details of a plot by Al Fatah guerillas to cause a huge explosion in the centre of Amman. The scheme involved a car crammed with explosives in hidden compartments. About 50 kilograms - about 100 pound avoirdupois - of explosives were packed in the car, and the security men say the explosion would have completely demolished several buildings and killed hundreds of people.

They located the car in the fashionable Jebel Amman area, where embassies and government ministries are situated. The car first aroused suspicions when it crossed the border from Syria. It was shadowed. The driver dropped his passengers - woman and three children - in a side-street before driving into Jebel Amman.

When he parked, the security men arrested him, finding two detonators which led them to search for the explosives. Officials say the driver, Hussin Zaza, has admitted being a member of Al Fatah. He told them the Al Fatah leaders sent him on his mission, and the passengers were his own family.