Court upholds death sentence against terrorist

AMMAN — The Cassation Court has upheld an August State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to death for killing five intelligence personnel in June in the terrorist attack on the Ain Al Basha office of the General Intelligence Department, a senior judicial source said Monday.

Mahmoud Masharfeh was found guilty by the SSC in early August of committing terrorist acts that led to the death of human beings, and committing terrorist acts using automatic weapons.

The SSC also sentenced Sami Abu Omar to a one-year imprisonment, after amending the charge against him from the felony of selling weapons for illegal use to the misdemeanour of selling weapons.

“The Cassation Court examined the case and decided to uphold the SSC sentence against the two men,” the senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The five victims of the June 6 attack included three non-commissioned officers who were guarding the office.

The suspect then fled to a village and went to a mosque where he was later captured by Capt. Faisal Adwan and Sgt. Ahmad Adwan, both Rangers and residents of the village, after they became suspicious of the assassin who was not familiar to them in their area.

When they attempted to arrest him, the defendant shot and injured the sergeant with the same weapon used in the attack.

The verdict must now be upheld by the Cabinet and ratified by His Majesty King Abdullah.