PROSECUTION IN FOLEY TRIAL RESTS; JORDANIAN

UNCLAS AMMAN 006347 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KISL PGOV PTER JO SUBJECT: PROSECUTION IN FOLEY TRIAL RESTS; JORDANIAN EXTREMIST CHARGED IN ANTI-US PLOT REF: A. AMMAN 05907 ¶B. AMMAN 05333 ¶C. AMMAN 06232 ¶1. (U) The final prosecution witnesses in the case of five individuals accused of assassinating USAID official Laurence Foley appeared in court on October 1. The witnesses included a Jordanian Telecom employee who traced the calls of the primary suspect, Libyan national Salem Bin Suweid, a security official who filmed the suspects during the crime reenactment, and a GID officer who testified that the two Libyan suspects "both confessed without being subjected to any form of torture or duress." The court is adjourned until October 8, when the defense will begin presenting its evidence. A defense attorney said in a press interview that the defendants are expected to take the witness stand at that time. ¶2. (U) Separately, Jordan's state prosecutor on October 1 formally charged Mohammad al-Shalabi (aka Abu Sayyaf) with plotting terrorist acts and possessing explosive materials with illicit intent. Al-Shalabi, who was arrested September 27, confessed to belonging to the "Mafraq cell" that Jordanian authorities disrupted in December 2002 for plotting to attack US interests and Jordanian intelligence officers, according to press reports. Military Prosecutor Col. Mahmoud 'Ubaydat said that al-Shalabi admitted to having close contact with two of the suspects in the Mafraq cell, Faisal al-Khalidi and Zuhair Shdeifat. He also confessed to owning handgrenades and shooting at police officers during clashes with security forces in Ma'an last November. Al-Shalabi denied links to al-Qa'ida, however. Al-Shalabi will be put on trial on October 8. Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. GNEHM