Jordan Times
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Seized explosives in
airport bombing plot 'military grade’, expert says
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — An explosives expert testifying in the trial of seven people charged
with plotting to bomb Queen Alia International Airport told the court on
Wednesday that some of the explosives to be used in the thwarted attack were
military grade.
“The explosives I examined were of military-make and could have caused grave
damage to people and property,” the witness, who examined materials seized from
the defendants, said.
Authorities seized 3.6 kilogrammes of PE-4A heavy explosives, which one of the
suspects had concealed in his Amman apartment inside a child’s toy.
Also during yesterday’s session in the State Security Court (SSC), a security
officer testified that one of the defendants “willingly confessed” to the
charges.
The security officer, who interrogated Iraqi defendant Muhsen Weisi, 34, said
the defendant “also signed willingly his confession sheet.”
The defendants, who include five Iraqis, a Libyan and a Saudi, allegedly plotted
to also attack resort hotels at the Dead Sea and in Aqaba, as well as Americans
and Israelis in the country.
The defendants, allegedly Al Qaeda militants, are charged with possessing
explosives with illicit intent.
Three of the seven are at large. They were identified as Iraqis Yousef Abed
Obeidi and Saad Fawzi Obeidi, as well as Saudi Turki Nasser.
The other men present at Wednesday’s court session are Iraqis Saad Nueimi, 40,
and Abdul Karim Jamili, 48, as well as Libyan Mohammad Saeed Darsi, 23.
According to the charge sheet, some of the suspects allegedly rented apartments
in Zarqa and Jabal Hussein to launch attacks in July 2005 against hotels at the
Dead Sea and in Aqaba “because the hotels were frequented by Americans and
Israelis.”
They also allegedly targeted 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 in Iraq wanted to claim
responsibility for the foiled attack.
Also Wednesday, the SSC named lawyer Adel Tarawneh to defend Ziyad Khalaf
Karbouli, who is standing trial on charges of murdering a Jordanian citizen in
Iraq in September 2005.
The SSC decision came following claims by the defendant that he had no financial
means to hire an attorney.
The tribunal adjourned the session until Sept. 20 to allow the defence attorney
time to examine the case.
Karbouli and 13 others are also charged with plotting acts that led to the death
of an individual, possessing explosives with illicit intent and belonging to an
illegal organisation, in this case an Al Qaeda-affiliated group in Iraq called
Tawhid and Jihad.
Karbouli, 23, is the only suspect in police custody. The others will be tried in
absentia.
The defendant appeared on Jordan Television in May 2006 and confessed to
shooting Jordanian driver Khalid Dasouqi and kidnapping two Moroccan diplomats
in the neighbouring country last year.
Karbouli, described as a local leader of Al Qaeda in the Iraqi town of Rutba
near the Jordanian border, also confessed to kidnapping a senior Iraqi official
and to looting trucks, according to the charge sheet.