Jordan Times
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
7 charged with plotting attacks in Jordan
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — State security prosecutors on Tuesday charged five Iraqis, a Libyan and a Saudi with plotting suicide attacks against the Queen Alia International Airport and other targets in Jordan.
The suspects, who plotted to attack hotels as well as Americans and Israelis in the country, were also charged with possessing explosives with illicit intent, according to the charge sheet, released to the press on Tuesday.
Three of the seven defendants were at large. They were identified as Iraqis Yousef Abed Obeidi and Saad Fawzi Obeidi, as well as Saudi Turki Nasser.
The other men are Iraqis Saad Nueimi, 40, Muhsein Weisi, 34, and Abdul Karim Jamili, 48, as well as Libyan Mohammad Saeed Darsi, 23.
According to the charge sheet, some of the suspects rented apartments in Zarqa and Jabal Hussein to launch attacks in July 2005 against hotels in the Dead Sea and Aqaba “because the hotels were frequented by Americans and Israelis.”
They also targeted the Queen Alia International Airport and visited its facilities to determine where to place explosives, the charge sheet said.
The group, arrested in February this year, said Al Qaeda network in Iraq wanted to claim responsibility for the foiled attack.
Authorities seized 3.6 kilogrammes of PE-4A heavy explosives, which one of the suspects had concealed in his Amman apartment inside a children’s construction game.
Meanwhile, five other suspects were charged yesterday with undermining Jordan’s relations with another country as well recruiting fighters in Iraq.
Salem Ajeimi, 32,Wissam Dimawi, 30, Omar Khalayleh, 30, Riyad Udwan, 26, and Raed Nawaysheh — all Jordanians — were also charged with subjecting the Kingdom to hostile acts. Nawaysheh was at large and will be put on trial in absentia.
The charge sheet said some of the defendants travelled to Syria en route to Iraq to join the fighters.
They were arrested in May 2006.