US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5907

UNCLAS AMMAN 005907 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PREL, JO 
SUBJECT: PROSECUTION WITNESSES TESTIFY IN FOLEY TRIAL 
 
1. (U) The state security court trial of five suspects in the 
October 2002 assassination of USAID official Laurence Foley 
resumed on September 2 and 9 with the appearance of several 
more witnesses for the prosecution.  The first round of 
prosecution witnesses appeared before the court on September 
2, during which First Lt. Muthana Katan testified that he 
found files about bombmaking and poisons on the computer of 
alleged Libyan mastermind Salem Bin Suweid.  "I inspected a 
computer and some diskettes and CDs belonging to defendant 
Salem Bin Suweid.  I found material on how to manufacture 
explosives and poisonous substances."  He also testified that 
he found material on how to resist law enforcement officials, 
some maps, and electronic books by Muslim scholars. 
 
2. (U) On September 9, Investigator Lt. Col. Abdul Nasser 
al-Dabbas described the crime scene, while Lt. Col. Naji 
al-Azam told the court that police confiscated from the 
defendants an aerosol crowd-dispersal device (probably tear 
gas or pepper spray) that is used by riot police.  Dr. Moumen 
al-Hadidi, who performed the autopsy, reported that the 
assailants' bullets struck Mr. Foley eight times, according 
to press reports. 
 
3. (U) Bin Suweid and his four accomplices have all pleaded 
innocent to the charges, which include conspiring to commit 
terrorist acts and illegal possession of automatic weapons. 
The prosecution claims that the group began targeting 
American and Jewish interests as well as Jordanian security 
forces in 1997.  Six others remain at large.  All 11 suspects 
face the death penalty if convicted.  While the indictment 
does not specifically mention al-Qa'ida, it does say some of 
the accused had links with Jordanian militant Abu Mus'ab 
al-Zarqawi, who is believed to be a senior figure in the 
organization.  The trial is adjourned until September 16. 
HALE