Attorney General endorses subversion, terrorism charges against expelled MP Ajarmeh

AMMAN — The Attorney General’s Office at the State Security Court (SSC) on Wednesday endorsed the charge sheet against expelled former deputy Osamah Ajarmeh that included plotting subversive acts and inciting armed riots.

The charge sheet, which included other defendants, also listed charges of threatening His Majesty King Abdullah’s life and manufacturing flammable substances with illicit terrorist intent, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The SSC prosecution office informed the defendants about the charge sheet so that the case would go through proper legal channels and they would be referred to the SSC to commence trial, Petra reported.

On June 6, the Lower House of Parliament voted to expel MP Ajarmeh following an emergency session to vote on a memo that was submitted by 109 deputies to oust him from the Chamber.

The session, which several ministers attended, saw 108 out of the 119 attending MPs voting in favour of expelling Ajarmeh.

Lower House Speaker Abdulmunim Oddat then firmly denounced during the session what he described as “corrupt statements uttered by Ajarmeh against King Abdullah”.

The emergency session was held following riots at the expelled MP’s hometown of Naour a day earlier, which resulted in the injury of four police officers.

Rioters reportedly set several vehicles on fire and fired live ammunition, according to police officials.

On May 27, the Chamber decided to freeze the membership of Ajarmeh for one year after he offended the House, its members and the internal regulations. 

The Lower House’s decision was made based on Ajarmeh’s remarks in a recent session, which the MPs considered insulting to the Lower House’s reputation, prestige and its members.

In the days following Ajarmeh’s expulsion from the Lower House, the former MP attended several rallies in Naour, where rioters continued to cause road closures by setting tyres on fire and blocking the roads.

In one incident, Ajarmeh reportedly appeared in several video clips that went viral showing him carrying a gun in a shoulder holster and waving a sword while uttering threatening remarks against the highest authorities in the country.

On June 16, police arrested Ajarmeh based on a warrant issued by the SSC prosecution office.