US embassy cable - 02AMMAN6937

UNCLAS AMMAN 006937 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EINV, ASEC, PTER, JO 
SUBJECT: AQABA PIZZA HUT FIRE AN ACCIDENT 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
 
1.  (SBU) Econoff spoke to Arab Food Catering Company owner 
Khaled Dhaleh November 27 to check on press reports about a 
"suspicious" fire in a Pizza Hut in Aqaba.  Dhaleh, whose 
company owns the Pizza Hut, Burger King, and Popeyes 
restaurants in Jordan, said the November 25th fire was caused 
by a short circuit in a refrigerator.  (A number of press 
reports claimed the cause of the fire was arson rooted in 
anti-Americanism, and portrayed the incident as one of a 
series of attacks on American fast food restaurants 
throughout the region.) 
 
2.  (SBU) Dhaleh told us the fire began at about noon, when a 
short circuit in a basement refrigerator ignited a fire with 
packaged material within.  The fire smoldered slowly, 
damaging the refrigerator and part of the building, but was 
quickly brought under control and caused no injuries.  He 
said that damages were in the range of about $15,000, and 
that the restaurant would be reopened December 2. 
 
3.  (SBU) Dhaleh said he heard initial news reports on the 
radio at midnight the same day that reported arson as the 
cause.  He said that it seemed to be a case of "wishful 
thinking" on the part of the press, "some of whom wanted a 
story and some of whom wanted to celebrate".  Dhaleh added 
that he had experienced no recent bouts of anti-Americanism 
in any of his restaurants, and that business was "okay". 
 
4.  (SBU) This report corroborates the Ambassador's 
conversation with the son of the owner of the hotel in which 
the Pizza Hut is located.  The son, a friend, also said it 
was an electrical fire. 
GNEHM