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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| 15 Indicted In Iraq Suicide Plot |
| 2005-10-31 |
| Amman, 31 Oct. (AKI) - Military prosecutors have indicted 15 Jordanian militants charged with plotting suicide bombings against the United States and Iraqi forces in Iraq, Jordanian media reported on Monday. Five of the men - all Jordanians and Palestinians aged between 22 and 36- were not in court, as they remain at large. If the suspects are convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison. They will stand trial sometime next month, and the five fugitives will be tried in absentia if they are still on the run, a court official was quoted as saying. The men have been charged with possession of automatic weapons and planning acts that could have harmed Jordan's relations with a foreign countries - a reference to Iraq and the United States - and entering and leaving Jordan illegally. The suspects intended to travel to Iraq through Syria through the porous Syrian border, to lay attacks against US and Iraqi forces. Some fell out with other group members and were arrested re-entering Jordan, while the rest were detained as they tried to enter Iraq. The indictiment also alleged the group received help from a Syrian-based contact, identified as Abu Adam al-Tunisi, who allegedly rented a safe house of the Jordanian cell members. Al-Tunisi has been identified as an al-Qaeda recruiter in previous trials. In August, the authorities in Jordan - a staunch US ally - announced they had arrested a Syrian, Mohammed Hassan al-Sihly, who they believed had masterminded rocket attacks on US warships in the in the southern port of Aqaba and the Israeli resort of Eilat. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks, which killed a Jordanian soldier. |
| Posted by:Steve |