Jordanian suspects linked to Al-Qaedaâs front man in Iraq, Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi, went on trial here yesterday on charges of plotting attacks on tourist and intelligence targets, judicial sources said. The suspects, including one who is on the run, face two counts of conspiracy to carry out âterrorist actsâ and the illegal possession of explosives for use in illicit operations, according to a copy of the charge sheet obtained by AFP. One of the suspects, Ossama Abu Hazim, is said to have befriended Zarqawi accomplice Moqdad Mohammed Al-Debbas in Syria in 2003 where they discussed ways of joining the insurgency in Iraq, the charge sheet said. Another suspect, Hatem Nsur, is said to have infiltrated Iraq where he trained in the use of explosives and met the fugitive Mohammed Qteishat, with whom he concocted a plot to attack tourists in Jordan, it said. Debbas, also a Jordanian, was tried and sentenced in March for involvement in plotting an attack with Jordanian-born Zarqawi against the offices of the Jordanian military attache in Baghdad. Qteishat is also linked to Zarqawi, according to judicial sources.
A chemical expert testifying before Jordanâs State Security Court said yesterday that explosives found in possession of 24-year-old Saudi national, Fahd Al-Fuheiki, were of âhigh-grade military qualityâ, according to judicial sources. Fuheiki is standing trial at the SSC on charges of planning a suicide attack at Jordanâs Karameh border post with Iraq that was supposed to coincide with a similar bombing against US soldiers stationed at Iraqâs Teribil crossing point in December 2004, the sources said. Najeh Azzam, a chemical expert at the General Intelligence Department, told the tribunal that he had been given eight plastic envelopes containing explosives by the prosecution and a thorough examination determined âthey were of high-grade military qualityâ.
âThe powder substance I examined on Dec. 5, 2004, are considered one of the strongest military explosives and are extremely destructive and dangerous,â he said. He pointed out that the explosives could also be detonated from a distance.