Two lawyers on Monday asked the State Security Court to acquit four men of plotting attacks against hotels, tourists sites and General Intelligence Department (GID) officers in 2005. The defendants â Osama Abu Hazeem, Hatem Ensour, Mohammad Arabiat, Yazan Haliq â are charged with conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks and possessing illegal explosives with illicit intent. A fifth man, Mohammad Qteishat, is still at large. Attorneys Hikmat Rawashdeh and Abdul Razaq Abul Athem asserted in their closing arguments that their clients were subjected to torture and duress by security forces, and they were detained for a week before being referred to the state prosecutor for questioning. âOur clients were also not allowed to appoint lawyers to represent them during the interrogation and they were tortured to confess to something they did not commit. Therefore, we call for their acquittal,â the attorneys said.
The five defendants were friends. In 1999, Haliq travelled to Syria to study and met with individuals who said they would help him infiltrate Iraq and fight there, according to the charge sheet. Abu Hazeem went to Syria four years later and met someone who promised to facilitate his entry into Iraq to fight there as well. He then returned to Jordan and asked Ensour and Arabiat to join him. Ensour then met with Qteishat in Iraq in mid-2003 and trained on the use of weapons, explosives and detonators, the charge sheet added. According to court reports, Abu Hazeem travelled to Syria in September 2004 where he received explosives training. He then smuggled detonators into the Kingdom when he returned the same month. The charge sheet also stated that Haliq travelled to Lebanon in January 2005 and trained on the use of guns, machineguns and explosives, then returned to the Kingdom.
The group decided to target three luxury hotels frequently visited by tourists and GID officers. The four men were arrested in February 2005 before carrying out any of their plans, according to the court. The tribunal adjourned the session indefinitely to issue a verdict.