Jordan Times
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Four men charged with
possession of explosive substance
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) prosecutor
on Monday charged four men with the possession and attempted sale of 39
kilogrammes of an explosive substance, judicial sources said.
The four men were identified in the charge sheet as Fadi Abu Fara, Mohammad
Yousef, and brothers Jihad and Imad Hassan, both being tried in absentia.
The prosecution alleges that the men were found in the possession of 39
kilogrammes of mercury, a substance used in the manufacture of explosives.
On May 28, the prosecution claims the four men left their homes in Salt in order
to sell two kilogrammes of the chemical but were unable to find a buyer.
On returning to Salt, the men then hid some of the mercury by a farm fence close
to the house of one of the defendants, said the charge sheet.
Jihad Hassan was arrested while attempting to sell mercury to an unnamed buyer.
The rest of the group was arrested shortly afterwards before allegedly being
able to sell any of the substance, according to the charge sheet.
The group is also charged with hiding the illegal explosive substance, the
charge sheet said.
No mention was made of how the group got hold of the mercury.
A senior judicial source told The Jordan Times the trial is set to open at the
SSC this coming Wednesday.