Verdicts in Rakban case adjourned till December

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday decided to adjourn the announcement of verdicts in the so-called Rakban case until next December.

In June 2016, a car bomb attack on an army post near Rakban refugee camp killed seven Jordanian soldiers and injured 11, prompting the immediate closure of the Kingdom’s northern and northeastern borders, which remained closed ever since.

The five defendants, all Syrians, plead for clemency before the court to have mercy on them, especially since they face death penalties if found guilty, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The charges they face are committing terror acts using explosives that led to the death of a human being, perpetrating terror acts that destructed a building with more than a person inside and the use of automatic guns with intention to use them illicitly in accomplice. 

Bashir Oqeily, the defence lawyer who was assigned by the SSC, had called for acquitting the defendants from the charges, on grounds that they are not related to the Rakban attack and that they were at the camp at the time of the explosion. 

The five defendants had been arrested on the border by a security unit affiliated with the army, and are believed to be affiliated with the Daesh terror group.