STATE SECURITY COURT RESUMES AFTER SUMMER HIATUS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 007960 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER ASEC JO SUBJECT: STATE SECURITY COURT RESUMES AFTER SUMMER HIATUS REF: A. AMMAN 7733 ¶B. AMMAN 3303 ¶C. AMMAN 6212 ¶D. AMMAN 3352 (U) Summary. The State Security Court resumed work this month, opening two new trials of suspected terrorist plotters. The tribunal indicted a Jordanian for raising funds to support Zarqawi-organized operations in Jordan and Iraq. Separately, the court charged two Jordanians with plotting against foreign diplomats in Amman. Several outstanding cases in the works before the summer recess remain on hold, and Jordanians are still waiting for the trial to begin for several Zarqawi affiliates arrested earlier this year for an elaborate plot to bomb the U.S. embassy and GOJ targets. End Summary. -------------- -------------- TWO ACCUSED OF PLOTTING AGAINST DIPLOMATS IN AMMAN -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) The State Security Court on September 16 indicted two Jordanians with jihadist leanings, charging that they plotted to attack foreign diplomats in Amman. The prosecutors say Khalid Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Jubran, a 20-year-old University of Jordan student, and Abd al-Hamid Izzat Mahmud Yasin, 31-year-old gift shop employee, first met in the Murad mosque in Sweilah, an Amman suburb, and agreed in March 2004 to attack foreign diplomats as retaliation for their countries' "objectionable" policies. Yasin allegedly collected copies of diplomats' tax exemption cards at his place of employment as a prelude to carrying out the attacks. They discussed purchasing machine guns at a later time, but security forces arrested them on May 31 before they were able to do so. There is no information to indicate that the two men were affiliated with any group. Both men denied the charges (ref A). -------------- ALLEGED ZARQAWI AFFILIATE DENIES CHARGES -------------- ¶3. (U) The court also on September 16 heard charges against Bilal Mansur al-Hiyari, 34, who the prosecution accuses of sending funds to Jordanian fugitive Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for operations in Iraq and Jordan. According to the indictment, Hiyari met with Zarqawi in Afghanistan where they developed a close friendship. Upon returning to Jordan, 'Umar Yusuf al- Jum'ah (aka Abu Anas al-Shami),allegedly Zarqawi's spiritual mentor, in March 2003 asked Bilal to travel to Iraq to participate in the fight against U.S. forces there. (Note: Press reports indicate that Abu Anas was killed in a U.S. raid in Iraq on September 17.) Hiyari met with Zarqawi in Iraq in July 2003 and agreed to Zarqawi's proposal of supporting military operations in Jordan. Hiyari then returned to Jordan to raise funds on Zarqawi's behalf. The prosecution said Hiyari (through an Iraqi intermediary) paid $3,000 in August 2003 for a car to support Zarqawi's military operations and arranged to send it to Iraq. In 2004, Zarqawi sent a courier to pick up funds from Hiyari, but the transaction was foiled as Hiyari was arrested. ¶4. (U) During a court appearance on September 19, Hiyari denied links to Zarqawi and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He told the court that he would never engage in activities that could "harm the country's security, and I have never been affiliated with any party or group, whether Islamic or non-Islamic, licensed or unlicensed," according to press reports. Hiyari's brothers testified on September 19 to Hiyari's claim that he had been tortured while in detention. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (U) These new indictments add to the pile of terrorism-related cases currently pending in the State Security Court. Several high profile cases are awaiting verdicts, including that of Maan-based extremist Muhammad Ahmad al-Shalabi (aka Abu Sayyaf) who is accused (along with 12 other men) of planning anti-U.S. attacks (ref B). The retrial of Muammar Ahmad Yusef al-Jaghbir, convicted along with Zarqawi in absentia for the assassination of USAID official Laurence Foley in Amman (and extradited from Iraq earlier this year) is also expected to begin this fall (ref C). Meanwhile, no date has been set for the opening trial of several Zarqawi operatives arrested earlier this year for plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Amman, the General Intelligence Department headquarters, and the Prime Ministry (ref D). Given the media attention and the seriousness of the plot, we expect the trial to be closely watched as the government seeks to make an example of the accused subversives. ¶6. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 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. HALE