Jordan Times
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Hamas-linked suspects retract confessions
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — Three Jordanians accused of plotting
terror attacks in the Kingdom on behalf of Hamas retracted their confessions on
Wednesday and informed the State Security Court (SSC) they wished to present new
statements.
Ayman Naji Hamadallah, 34, Ahmad Abu Rabieh, 27, and Ahmad Abu Diab, 29, are
charged with conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts and illegal possession of
explosives and weapon.
The three defendants, who pleaded not guilty to the charges in December,
appeared on Jordan television last May and confessed to plotting to kill senior
officials in the intelligence services.
During yesterday’s two-hour court session, they informed the tribunal they
wished to provide new written testimonies.
The court accepted their request and set January 31 as the day to hear their new
testimonies.
Earlier in the session, an explosives expert told the tribunal he examined
rockets, detonators and explosive substances given to him by the SSC prosecutor
that allegedly belonged to the suspects.
The expert told the court he examined four RBJ18 and N72A2 rockets, 20 explosive
shells, around 22 kilos of TNT explosive, and 20 detonators.
“The explosives and rockets are extremely dangerous to humans, tanks and
property,” he said.
The state prosecutor rested his case opening the way for the defence to start
preparing their evidence and arguments.
The suspects were arrested in April and May as part of a sweep that netted 20
people.
In a second high-profile case on Wednesday, the attorney of Iraqi Ziyad Khalaf
Karbouli, who is accused of murdering a Jordanian citizen in Iraq in 2005, told
the court he received information that his client was detained at the time of
the incident.
“I received an e-mail from Karbouli’s father that included a letter from Akashat
Police Station in Iraq stating that my client was in custody from September 21
to 24 for not possessing an identification card,” lawyer Adel Tarawneh told the
court.
The lawyer said he intends to obtain an official copy of the letter to submit as
evidence, “since the dates falls within the period the Jordanian driver was
allegedly murdered by Karbouli.”
The tribunal agreed and adjourned the session until next Wednesday.
Karbouli, 23, appeared on Jordan Television in May 2006 and confessed to
shooting Khaled Dasouqi, a driver who worked on the Baghdad-Amman highway, and
kidnapping two Moroccan diplomats in Iraq last year.
Karbouli and 13 others, who are being tried in absentia, are charged with
plotting subversive acts that lead to the death of an individual, possessing
explosives with illicit intent and belonging to an illegal organisation (Tawhid
and Jihad) affiliated to Al Qaeda network in Iraq.