GOJ PUBLICLY LINKS FATAH AL-ISLAM LEADER TO FOLEY

UNCLAS AMMAN 002206 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER JO LE SUBJECT: GOJ PUBLICLY LINKS FATAH AL-ISLAM LEADER TO FOLEY ASSASSINATION REF: A. AMMAN 2172 ¶B. 06 AMMAN 1827 ¶C. 04 AMMAN 2645 ¶1. (U) CONFIRMING REPORTS IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA, GOJ SPOKESMAN NASSER JOUDEH SAID DURING A WEEKLY BRIEFING TO JOURNALISTS ON MAY 22 THAT FATAH AL-ISLAM LEADER SHAKER AL-ABSI WAS A "JORDANIAN NATIONAL" WHO WAS CONVICTED IN ABSENTIA AND SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR THE OCTOBER 28, 2002 ASSASSINATION OF USAID DIPLOMAT LAWRENCE FOLEY (REF C). ¶2. (U) TWO OF AL-ABSI'S COHORTS, LIBYAN NATIONAL SALIM SUWAYD AND JORDANIAN NATIONAL YASIR FURAYHAT, WERE HANGED ON MARCH 11, 2006 FOLLOWING THEIR CONVICTIONS IN THE SAME TRIAL (REF B). VISIT AMMANS CLASSIFIED WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/AMMAN/ HALE