TERRORISM TRIALS UPDATE

UNCLAS AMMAN 000222 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PHUM ASEC IZ SY JO SUBJECT: TERRORISM TRIALS UPDATE REF: A. 06 AMMAN 8850 ¶B. 05 AMMAN 7600 ¶C. TD 314/81273-06 ¶1. SUMMARY: JORDAN'S STATE SECURITY COURT (SSC) SENTENCED ROMAN AMPHITHEATER SHOOTER NABIL JAAOURA TO DEATH AND HANDED DOWN PRISON SENTENCES IN TWO OTHER TERRORISM-RELATED CASES. THE COURT CONTINUED PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THREE HAMAS MILITANTS WHO PLANNED ATTACKS IN JORDAN, AND ZIYAD KARBOULI, AN IRAQI CHARGED WITH MURDERING A JORDANIAN CITIZEN IN IRAQ. MEANWHILE, PROSECUTORS INDICTED TWO MEN FOR PLOTTING TO ATTACK A U.S. CITIZEN AND THREE OTHERS FOR RECRUITING FIGHTERS TO JOIN THE IRAQI INSURGENCY. END SUMMARY. AMPHITHEATER ATTACKER SENTENCED TO DEATH ¶2. THE SSC ON DECEMBER 21, 2006 SENTENCED NABIL AHMAD ISSA JAAOURA TO DEATH FOR KILLING A BRITISH TOURIST AND INJURING SIX OTHERS AT AMMAN'S ROMAN AMPHITHEATER IN SEPTEMBER 2006. JAAOURA PLED NOT GUILTY AT HIS ARRAIGNMENT, BUT THEN RANTED AGAINST THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE BALFOUR DECLARATION AND CHALLENGED THE COURT TO IMPOSE ITS HARSHEST SENTENCE DURING A LATER HEARING (REF A). AFTER THE VERDICT WAS ANNOUNCED, HE SHOUTED, "I AM A WARRIOR FIGHTING FOR GOD AND I THANK GOD FOR THE VERDICT." THE COURT OF CASSATION WILL REVIEW THE SENTENCE. IF THE SENTENCE IS UPHELD, THE KING MUST SIGN A DEATH WARRANT BEFORE THE EXECUTION CAN TAKE PLACE. JAAOURA,S LAWYER TOLD REPORTERS THAT HE PLANS TO APPEAL THE SENTENCE. HIZB AL-TAHRIR SUPPORTER RECEIVES ONE-YEAR SENTENCE ¶3. ON DECEMBER 18, 2006 THE SSC SENTENCED 74 YEAR-OLD MAHMOUD SAID TO ONE YEAR IN PRISON FOR BELONGING TO THE OUTLAWED ISLAMIST GROUP HIZB AL-TAHRIR. MAHMOUD SAID FIRST RECEIVED A THREE-YEAR PRISON TERM, BUT HIS SENTENCE WAS REDUCED BECAUSE OF HIS AGE. ACCORDING TO PRESS, SAID WAS ARRESTED IN AUGUST WHILE DISTRIBUTING PAMPHLETS FOR HIZB AL-TAHRIR IN IRBID. HIZB AL-TAHRIR CALLS FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE CALIPHATE AND THUS FOR THE END OF THE HASHEMITE MONARCHY (REFS A, B). THREE MEN SENTENCED FOR SEEKING TO JOIN IRAQI INSURGENCY ¶4. ON DECEMBER 13, 2006 THE SSC HANDED DOWN SENTENCES FOR THREE MEN WHO ATTEMPTED TO JOIN THE IRAQI INSURGENCY. MAHMOUD ABDUL AAL AND YOUSEF SHAFEI RECEIVED THREE-YEAR PRISON SENTENCES, WHILE KHALIL ENNABI WAS SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR. THE MEN WERE ARRESTED IN THE SPRING OF 2006 AFTER RETURNING FROM SYRIA - FROM WHERE THEY HAD HOPED TO TRAVEL TO IRAQ TO JOIN INSURGENTS FIGHTING IRAQI AND U.S. FORCES. HAMAS-LINKED SUSPECTS RETRACT CONFESSIONS, PLEAD NOT GUILTY ¶5. ON JANUARY 17, THREE JORDANIANS ACCUSED OF PLOTTING TERROR ATTACKS IN JORDAN ON BEHALF OF HAMAS RETRACTED THEIR CONFESSIONS AND ASKED TO PRESENT NEW STATEMENTS. ALLEGED RINGLEADER AYMAN NAJI HAMADALLAH AHMAD ABU RABIEH, AND AHMAD ABU DIAB, WHO WERE ARRESTED IN APRIL AND MAY 2006, FACE THE DEATH PENALTY ON CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY TO CARRY OUT TERRORIST ATTACKS AND POSSESSION OF EXPLOSIVES AND WEAPONS (REF A). THE THREE MEN, WHO PLED GUILTY ON DECEMBER 13, 2006, APPEARED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION IN MAY 2006 AND CONFESSED TO PLOTTING TO KILL INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS. KARBOULI CASE CONTINUES ¶6. ON JANUARY 17 ADEL TARAWNEH, AN ATTORNEY FOR FORMER IRAQI CUSTOMS EMPLOYEE ZIAD KHALAF RAJA AL-KARBOULI, CLAIMED TO HAVE A LETTER THAT PROVED KARBOULI WAS IN POLICE CUSTODY IN LATE SEPTEMBER 2005 AND THEREFORE COULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF KHALED DASOUQI - A JORDANIAN TRUCK DRIVER KILLED IN IRAQ IN SEPTEMBER 2005. AFTER KARBOULI'S ARREST, THE GOJ AIRED HIS TAPED CONFESSION ON NATIONAL TELEVISION - KARBOULI CLAIMS HIS CONFESSION WAS EXTRACTED THROUGH TORTURE. TARAWNEH TOLD THE COURT HE WOULD SOON OBTAIN AND SUBMIT AN OFFICIAL COPY OF THE LETTER AS EVIDENCE OF HIS CLIENT'S INNOCENCE. TWO MEN PLEAD NOT GUILTY FOR PLOTTING TO ATTACK AMERICANS ¶7. ON JANUARY 17, MOHAMMAD HUSSEIN SHEHADEH AND MOHAMMAD SAMIH HOTARI PLED NOT GUILTY TO TERRORISM CHARGES THAT INCLUDED ALLEGATIONS OF INVOLVEMENT IN A PLOT TO KILL U.S. CITIZENS AND POSSESSION OF UNLICENSED AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. ACCORDING TO THE CHARGE SHEET, SHEHADEH AND HOTARI PLANNED TO ATTACK AMERICANS TO RETALIATE AGAINST U.S. POLICIES TOWARD MUSLIMS. THE TWO WERE ARRESTED AFTER THEY PICKED AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN TO ATTACK (REF C). THREE MEN INDICTED FOR RECRUITING ¶8. ON JANUARY 8 PROSECUTORS INDICTED THREE MEN FOR RECRUITING FIGHTERS TO JOIN THE IRAQI INSURGENCY. HAMZEH NAWISHEH (WHO WAS ARRESTED IN THE SUMMER OF 2006),AND MOHAMMAD HAJJAJ AND ABDULLAH FASFOUS (BOTH INDICTED IN ABSENTIA),WERE CHARGED WITH PLOTTING ACTS THAT UNDERMINE JORDAN'S RELATIONS WITH ANOTHER COUNTRY AND SUBJECTING THE KINGDOM TO HOSTILE ACTS. VISIT AMMAN'S CLASSIFIED WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/AMMAN/ HALE