Three suspected Jordanian Islamists appeared in court on Wednesday accused of plotting to assassinate United States President George Bush when he visited the country last year. Nidal Momani, Sattam Zawahra and Tharwat Ali Draz were arrested on November 28, a day before Bush visited Jordan, and later indicted by a military prosecutor on charges of "conspiracy to carry out terrorist plots". According to the charge sheet obtained by Agence France-Presse, the men allegedly plotted to "bomb the US and Danish embassies in Jordan and assassinate US President George Bush upon his arrival to Jordan on a visit."The document did not provide further details about the previously undisclosed plot, nor did it say why the suspects -- who face the death penalty if found guilty -- chose to target US and Danish interests. The revelations came as Jordan's King Abdullah II, a close Middle East ally of the West, was visiting the United States. Israel on Wednesday also warned nationals who may be visiting regional allies Egypt and Jordan to leave immediately, citing a "very high concrete threat" to their safety.
Bush was in Jordan on November 29 to 30 for a visit dominated by talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on ways of quelling the sectarian bloodshed in Iraq. A Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed in 2005, sparking an outpouring of Muslim anger and violence worldwide last year, including anti-Danish protests in Jordan.
According to the charge sheet, Zawahra tried to obtain weapons and explosives to carry out the plan, which was foiled by Jordanian security forces acting on a tip-off. The suspects, all in their 20s, hail from Zarqa, north-east of Amman, and were "bound by friendship and their jihadist" Islamist religious convictions, the charge sheet said.