Jordan: American diplomat summoned to be a witness in a terrorism case

The state's security court in Amman on Tuesday decided to summon an American diplomat in Jordan to give his testimony in the case of a Jordanian who has the American nationality. This Jordanian will be re-tried after he was sentenced to death in absentia in the year 2000 for planning to carry out terrorist acts, according to his lawyer Jalal Darwish.

Darwish said:" the government on Tuesday approved by request to summon the American Consul in Amman Leis Hickman and a defendant witness, especially as he saw the traces of torture on the body of Raed Hijazi, the accused man, during his visit to him in the prison as being an American citizen. The lawyer explained that this request will be presented by the Jordanian judiciary to the Jordanian foreign ministry, which will, by its turn submit it to the US state department to study it.

Worthy mentioning that Hijazi (32 year old) who was sentenced to death in absentia by the Jordanian state's security court under charges of planning to attack Israeli and American targets and against tourism sites in Jordan trodden by foreigners during celebrations of the beginning of the year 2000. Hijazi was also accused of being a member in al-Qaeda ( the base) organization led by Osama Bin Laden.