Four accused persons deny planning to launch attacks in Jordan
Jordan, Local, 2/22/2005

Four Islamists activists defended themselves against accusations of conspiring to kill American and Israeli tourists during their trial on Monday.

The accused men, from the Palestinian refugees camp in Irbid to the north of Jordan near the Syrian border, denied, at the beginning of the trial at the state security court in Amman, the main accusation which relates to the intention of taking part in terrorist attacks.

The attorney general for the state security Mahmoud Obeidat said that the four men Suleiman Sheikh ( 28 year old), Omar Sheikh ( 26 year old), Riyadh Abu Dheila ( 29 year old) and Ahmad Abu Qatma ( 51 year old) are members in a group that claimed Jihad against westerners.

He added that the activists planned to kill American and Jewish tourists visiting religious places in Jordan and that they also drew a plan to assassinate officers in the Jordanian intelligence while carrying out missions in the camp and to burn their cars. He also indicated that the accused men face accusations of owning weapons in a way violating the law with a penalty to this act of 15 year imprisonment.

Intelligence officials said that a group composed of 16 Islamists led by the Imam of the mosque Sheikh Abed al-Tahawi will be brought before the court shortly under the charge of planning to kill members of an American dancing group during a music festival in 2004.

Jordan, which is a close alley to the US witnessed an increase in the number of detention cases of Islamic activists which security sources say they collaborate to carry out attacks against American and foreigners in line with the increasing anti- west sentiments after the invasion carried out by the US against Iraq in 2003.

Previous Stories:
  Jordan: Some 13 persons found not guilty   (12/28/2004)
  Jordanian policeman opens fire at workers heading for Israel   (12/3/2004)
  Jordan: special passports for foreign business men   (11/9/2004)

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