Suspect charged with ‘terrorist acts’ in Jerash stabbing case

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Sunday charged the first of three suspects involved in a stabbing incident that targetted eight people in Jerash with carrying out terrorist acts using a weapon.

The strongly condemned stabbing incident involved eight victims, including four tourists and four Jordanians, who were injured after being stabbed by a man in the ancient city of Jerash in November 2019.

The defendant was also accused of plotting terror acts, attempting to enlist in armed groups and terrorist organisations and promoting their ideology.  

The court will appoint lawyers for the first and second defendants, as they expressed that they could not afford to hire lawyers for their criminal defence, while the third said that he has an attorney.

The second defendant was accused of taking part in terrorist acts, while all three defendants were accused of promoting terrorist ideology, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The court proceedings showed that the first and second defendants have maintained a long friendship, while the first defendant has been spreading takfiri ideology since 2019 through online platforms.

The court revealed that the first defendant decided to carry out an operation on Jordanian soil in support of the Daesh terror group, in revenge of the death of Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

The injured tourists included three Mexicans and a Swiss national.

The Iftaa Department issued a statement shortly after the stabbing incident took place, describing it as “an ugly incident that contradicts our Islamic religion and teachings that call for being welcoming to guests and preserving bloodshed and human lives”.

“The crime that happened is not acceptable by any norm or religion and has no relation to our genuine Arab Islamic manners in this blessed, safe and secure country,” the department said in its statement.