Jordan sentences four to long jail terms on terror charges

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Wednesday September 13, 2006

Amman- Jordan's State Security Court Wednesday sentenced four people to jail terms ranging from 10 to 21 years with hard labour after finding them guilty of planning acts of terrorism, judicial sources said. Initially, the tribunal passed the death penalty on Maath Braizat, Ibrahim Jahawsheh and Faisal Rwaidan, but decided to commute this to 20 years in jail "to give them a chance to rectify themselves."

Braizat received an additional one-year's imprisonment because the court found him guilty of possessing a firearm without a licence, the judicial sources said. A fourth defendant, Obadeh Hiyari, was sentenced to ten years.

All four defendants, who were arrested earlier this year, were condemned for plotting to carry out attacks on a barracks for training Iraqi policemen at Muwaqqar, 50 kilometres east of Amman.

The Jordanian government concluded an agreement with the Iraqi authorities two years ago to train 32,000 Iraqi policemen.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur