The State Security Court (SSC) on Wednesday sentenced two men to four-year prison terms after convicting them of plotting attacks against Americans and liquor stores in the Kingdom. The tribunal declared Musa Khader, 23, and Munther Mahmoud, 24, guilty of plotting subversive acts in 2005. The tribunal decided to acquit both defendants of charges of carrying out and plotting activity aimed at undermining Jordan's relations with another country for “lack of evidence.” Defence lawyer Abdul Karim Abu Kulah told The Jordan Times after the trial that he plans to appeal the verdict. The defendants became friends while studying at a local college and talked about the need to fight Israelis and Americans, the charge sheet said. They first thought of launching military operations against the Israeli army but changed their minds and decided instead to target Americans in Aqaba and liquor stores, the charge sheet added. Later on, according to the charge sheet, the two decided to fight in Iraq and travelled to Syria where they met with a man called Abu Adam Al Tunisi who was supposed to help them infiltrate into Iraq. The two were arrested in July 2005 before being able to carry out any of their alleged plans.
In a second case on Wednesday, the SSC handed reduced sentences to two men after convicting them of charges of carrying out and plotting activity aimed at undermining Jordan's relations with another country. Iyad Ahmad, 34, was first sentenced to a five-year prison term for the charge, but his sentence was immediately reduced by the court to “give him a second chance in life.”
Ammar Mohammad, 19, was also handed a five-year prison term, which was reduced to three years for the same reason. The same court acquitted three other men standing trial on the same charges for “lack of evidence.” Anas Hassan, 19, Kais Nouredin, 24, and Hassan Khalid, 26, immediately knelt inside their prison cell and thanked God for their acquittal verdict.
The defendants met with a man identified by the prosecution as Khaldoun and they discussed the situation of fighters in Iraq and the virtues of jihad, the charge sheet said. Khaldoun offered to recruit them to fight in Iraq and they agreed and some of them also recruited others to fight in Iraq, the charge sheet said. The verdicts are subject to appeal by the SSC attorney general and the defendants.