New trials open for 35 terror suspects

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday held 13 public hearings for cases that involved 35 defendants, some of whom are believed to be affiliated with the Daesh terror group.

On trial for conspiracy were nine Daesh-affiliated indictees (one of them is still at large), who are accused of plotting to carry out attacks in the Kingdoms through manufacturing explosive belts to target security apparatuses, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The nine suspects face charges of conspiracy to carry out terror acts, promoting Daesh’s extremist ideologies, trying to join armed groups and terrorist organisations, and joining terrorist organisations. 

In another trial, SSC listened to prosecution witnesses in a case where defendants are indicted of planning to attack Public Security Department officers in Maan and steal their weapons to carry out terror acts against the officers and spread panic among citizens.  

Also on Monday, the SSC started the trial of a suspect who allegedly planned to implement a terror attack against Zarqa Intelligence Office with the use of firearms.

The suspect, apprehended since September, pled not guilty to charges of threatening to carry out terror acts, attempting to join armed groups and promoting the ideologies of a terror group.

According to the charge list, the suspect in 2016 started to follow Daesh’s news online, until he was convinced of its ideologies and became a supporter of the group, Petra added.