JORDAN: 2005 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009733

SIPDIS

S/CT FOR SHORE AND SALAZAR ALSO FOR NCTC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: 2005 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM

REF: STATE 193439


1. As requested reftel, post provides below its recommended
text for the Jordan section of the Global Terrorism Report.


2. Jordan continued its strong support for efforts to combat
terrorism in 2005. The Government of Jordan has an important
interest in defeating Al-Qaeda and similar groups, and has
supported forums for tolerance and pro-coexistence religious
education during the last year. The GOJ aggressively pursued
the network of fugitive Jordanian terrorist Abu Mus,ab
al-Zarqawi, who is deemed responsible for attacks in Jordan
and Iraq, including the November 9 hotel bombings in Amman
that killed 63 people, and the August 19 rocket attack in
Aqaba, Jordan that also impacted in Eilat, Israel. The GOJ
publicly condemned terrorist acts throughout the world,
introduced tightened security measures, and began drafting
new anti-terror legislation. Jordanian security forces
disrupted numerous terrorist plots during the year, including
several that targeted U.S. interests, while Jordan,s State
Security Court, which has purview over terrorism-related
cases, processed a heavy caseload, many of which involved
Zarqawi-affiliated suspects.


3. In mid-November in response to the hotel bombings, members
of the royal family including Queen Rania and Princess Basma,
led a series of street protests, vigils, and marches against
terrorism; the largest march drawing approximately 200,000
people. King Abdullah continued to speak out forcefully
against terrorism and Islamic extremism. Jordan worked to
promote religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and shared
values between civilizations with a number of initiatives,
including the International Islamic Conference in Amman in
July. In December, the King called on the Organization of
the Islamic Conference to dedicate itself to combating
extremism.


4. The November 9 hotel bombings, the country,s worst-ever
terrorist attacks, left many Jordanians shocked. The
targeting of a wedding reception in particular eroded support
for Zarqawi and al-Qaeda within Jordan. Surveys taken in the
weeks after the bombings show that approximately 80 percent
of those polled had negative opinions of al Qaeda and that 90
percent believed al Qaeda was a terrorist organization;
approximately 65 percent said their views had changed as a
result of the November 9 bombings. The televised confession
of would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, part of the
GOJ,s campaign to rally average citizens against Islamic
terrorism, also served to reduce support for Zarqawi and
Islamic extremists.


5. The State Security Court moved forward on several
high-profile al-Qaeda-related terrorism cases in 2005. The
case against 13 men accused of plotting a chemical bomb
attack in Amman in April 2004 continued in 2005 as reputed
cell leader Azmi Jayusi threatened court officials and
admitted meeting with Abu Mus,ab al Zarqawi in preparation
for the attack. In November, prosecutors demanded the death
penalty for the plotters. Four of the accused, including
Zarqawi, are being tried in absentia. Zarqawi is also being
tried in absentia for a December 2004 attack at the
Karama-Trebil border crossing, and was already sentenced to
death by the SSC for the 2002 murder of U.S. diplomat
Laurence Foley in 2004. In November, the SSC charged Muammar
Jaghbir with plotting subversive acts for the 2003 attack
against the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad that killed 17.
Jaghbir, who was arrested in Iraq in 2004 by U.S. forces and
handed over to Jordanian authorities, is also standing trial
for the assassination of Laurence Foley. In September the
SSC sentenced twelve Islamist militants to prison terms
ranging from one and a half to three years, falling short of
the maximum penalties -- death or 15 years of hard labor --
for plotting terrorist attacks against the U.S. and Israeli
embassies. During their sentencing, the defendants hailed
the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks on the U.S., and claimed
that the verdict would not dissuade them from pursuing the
path of jihad.


6. Several non-al Qaeda-related SSC cases were heard in 2005.
The highly contentious trial of more than 100 Jordanians
charged with involvement in the 2002 Ma,an riots, which left
six dead, began in early 2005. Ninety-five of the defendants
are being tried in absentia. The main defendant in the case,
Abu Sayyaf, retracted his earlier confession claiming he was
tortured and forced to confess. In January, the SSC
sentenced two men to two and one-half year prison terms for
plotting attacks against foreign diplomats in Amman, and in
October the SSC sentenced five Jordanians to prison terms
ranging from one year to five years hard labor for plotting
attacks in Israel and against tourists in Jordan, and another
three men to five years imprisonment for plotting attacks on
liquor stores and tourists in Aqaba. In November, the SSC
said it would re-examine guilty verdicts it had issued
against seven militants convicted of a bungled terror
conspiracy to use poison gas against American and Israeli
tourists during Jordan's millennium celebrations in December
1999 after an appeals court ordered a retrial on the grounds
that the plotters may be covered under a general amnesty
issued by King Abdullah.


7. In mid-November the GOJ proposed new anti-terror
legislation that will set harsh penalties for anyone who
condones or supports acts of terror. The proposed bill,
still in the drafting stage, will allow authorities to hold
terror suspects indefinitely, and may require Jordanian
citizens who rent apartments or office space to
non-Jordanians to report specific, personal details about
tenants to the authorities within 48 hours of signing a
lease.


8. Border security remains a top concern of Jordanian
officials. Since the Aqaba rocket attack in August, the GOJ
has enforced strict security measures at the Karama-Trebil
border crossing, including thorough manual searches of all
vehicles and persons attempting to enter Jordan.
Additionally, Jordanian authorities have issued a zero
tolerance policy towards fuel smuggling. Jordan and Iraq
signed a security agreement establishing a committee that
will exchange information on terrorists, organized crime, and
border infiltration.


9. In the wake of the November 9 hotel bombings, Jordanian
Public Security Department Commanders met with
representatives of hotels, banks, restaurants and tourist
sites to discuss increasing and adopting security measures to
prevent future attacks. Many hotels, shopping malls and
other major institutions have installed metal detectors, and
electronic surveillance systems. In response to King
Abdullah,s call for a strategy to preempt terrorist plots,
23 Jordanian academics have joined to form an NGO called "The
Scientific Society to Combat Terrorism." The Society's
members will serve as scientific and technical advisors for
security services charged with protecting Jordan from
terrorism, and will train customs officials on how to uncover
forged documents, and combat smuggling.


10. The Embassy point of contact for the report is poloff
Mark Petzolt. Tel: (962) (6) 590-6594. Unclassified e-mail
address: Petzoltma@state.gov.
RUBINSTEIN