Jordanians charged of sneaking to fight American forces in Iraq

The Jordanian state security court issued sentences for the imprisonment of 11 Jordanians, including five escaped, on charge of trying to sneak into Iraq through Syria in order to join armed groups fighting the American forces.

The convicted men can resume the issued sentences. The attorney general of the state security court accused the convicted of "starting acts not permitted by the government that would damage relations between the Kingdom and a foreign state, having weapons, and sneaking from and to Jordanian lands."

The court sentenced in absentia 15 years imprisonment with hard labor against the five fleeing men.

Other sentences were issued in the presence of the detained persons held since July 2005 for four years imprisonment for two of them and three years imprisonment for three of them and one and eight months sentence imprisonment for one, while other four were found non guilty because there was not enough evidence against them.

After the issuing of the sentences, some of the convicted persons said "these sentences remind us of al-Jihad and Jweida invasion," in remarks to Islamists rioting in Jweidah prison in Amman recently over the detaining of several security men.