Man handed 12 years for stabbing in Amman mosque

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June Criminal Court ruling, sentencing a man to 12 years in prison after convicting him of attempting to murder a man in Amman in January 2022.

The Criminal Court declared the defendant guilty of attempted murder, stemming from “a heated dispute” over a chair, on January 8. The defendant was given the maximum sentence.

Court papers said the victim was praying in a mosque where the victim had placed a chair in front of himself.

"The defendant entered the mosque and pulled the chair next to him," the court documents said.

When the victim finished praying, the court maintained, “he asked the defendant why he pulled the chair away, and an argument ensued”.

“The defendant pulled a knife and stabbed the victim once in the stomach, then fled,” the court maintained.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and survived the stabbing incident, the court papers added.

The defendant contested his ruling via his lawyer, who argued that there were “legal errors in the investigation procedures”.

The Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to uphold the 12-year sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings were accurate and that the defendant was given the appropriate punishment.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mahmoud Ebtoush, Nayef Samarat, Hammad Ghzawi, Qassem Dughmi, and Mohammad Khashashneh.