3 Egyptians given death sentence for killing compatriot

AMMAN — Three Egyptian men were sentenced to death on Monday by the Criminal Court after being convicted of killing their compatriot in Amman in December 2015.

The court declared the defendants guilty of killing their colleague in late 2015 following an argument about guard duties in Jabal Luweibdeh and handed them the maximum punishment.

“One of the defendants sat on the court’s floor upon hearing the conviction verdict in disbelief while another banged on the iron bars of the cage,” a senior judicial source said.

The source told The Jordan Times that the court decided to hand them the death penalty after establishing that “they plotted the murder and bought the knives”.

Court documents said the main defendant in the case travelled to Egypt and asked the victim to replace him in guarding a building in Jabal Luweibdeh until he returned.

When the main defendant returned to Jordan, the court maintained, “the victim refused to leave his post and insisted to take his job, so he decided to kill him as a result”.

“The defendant contacted the two other defendants, including one who worked in Irbid, and asked them to help him kill the victim,” the court said.

On the day of the murder, the court added that the defendants met in downtown Amman and bought knives.

“The defendants returned to Jabal Luweibdeh late at night and monitored the building where the victim worked and when they felt that no one was around they entered his room, pinned him down and stabbed him to death,” according to court transcripts.

The three defendants then escaped and took a taxi, the court said, but the driver became suspicious because they had blood on their clothes and were agitated so the driver contacted the police.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Ishaq Abu Awad asked the court to inflict the maximum punishment on the defendants.

Monday’s court verdicts will automatically be reviewed by the Court of cassation within the next 30 days.