Jordan Times
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
11 men charged with possessing explosives receive prison terms
AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday acquitted 13 defendants of plotting subversive acts against US targets in Jordan, but sentenced 11 of them to prison terms ranging from six to 15 years on charges of possessing explosives.
Two other defendants, Saud Khalayleh, 29, and Issam Uteibi, 44,who were standing trial on the same charges, were acquitted by the court for “lack of evidence.”
The court first sentenced Faisal Khalidi, 31, Zuhair Shdeifat, 27, Samer Hasban, 28, and Mohammad Sarhan, 27, to a 15-year prison term each for their role in the case.
But the tribunal immediately commuted their sentences to half “because they had no previous criminal records and to give them a second chance.”
Other defendants who received a reduced sentence were Amer Sraj, 35, who had his sentence commuted from 15 to 10 years; Saleh Qteishat, 32, whose sentence was reduced from 15 to 12 years, and Jalad Hleiban, 29, who had his 15-year prison term reduced to six years by the court.
The only defendant present in court to receive the full 15-year prison term was Mohammad Shalabi, better known as Abu Sayyaf, who is blamed by the government for causing the Maan riots in November 2002 which claimed the lives of five people. He was arrested by the authorities in September 2003. “I am not a criminal. The criminal is the one that places young men behind bars. You are the criminals,” Shalabi shouted from his heavily-guarded cell after being convicted by the SSC. Three Saudi nationals, who were tried in absentia, each received a 15-year prison term with hard labour. Reading from the 72-page verdict, presiding Judge Fawaz Bqour said that after the Sept. 11 attacks and the American invasion of Afghanistan some of the group members decided to go to Afghanistan to fight the Americans.
The defendants realised that they could not travel to Afghanistan because of the extra security measures and decided instead to launch military attacks against American targets in Jordan, the judge said. The defendants thought that there were American military bases in Azraq, Jafer and Safawi and decided to attack these bases, Judge Bqour added. “The court finds it would have been impossible for the group to commit these attacks because these [American] bases do not exist and His Majesty King Abdullah and the prime minister [Ali Abul Ragheb] denied the presence of such forces,” Judge Bqour said. As for the defendants' plan to attack the American embassy in Amman as was listed in the prosecution charge sheet, Judge Bqour said “the court concludes that it was just a thought that crossed the minds of some of the defendants as they passed by the embassy building.” Therefore, Judge Bqour added, the court decided to acquit them of plotting subversive acts — a charge that could have landed them the death penalty.
The prosecution charged the men with purchasing 40 hand grenades, detonators and other weapons with the intent of using them in an attack against the American embassy in Amman and General Intelligence Department officers. However, the defendants were apprehended by the authorities before carrying any of their alleged plans. Attorney Mohammad Hantoush, who represented Faisal Khalidi, described the verdict as “just and excellent,” adding that he had no plans to appeal the verdict. According to the State Security Law, verdicts of 10 years and above are automatically reviewed by a higher court, while verdicts below 10 years are subject to appeal by the prosecution and the defendants' lawyers.