US embassy cable - 03AMMAN6347

UNCLAS AMMAN 006347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KISL, PGOV, PTER, JO 
SUBJECT: PROSECUTION IN FOLEY TRIAL RESTS; JORDANIAN 
EXTREMIST CHARGED IN ANTI-US PLOT 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 05907 
     B. AMMAN 05333 
     C. AMMAN 06232 
 
1.  (U)  The final prosecution witnesses in the case of five 
individuals accused of assassinating USAID official Laurence 
Foley appeared in court on October 1.  The witnesses 
included a Jordanian Telecom employee who traced the calls of 
the primary suspect, Libyan national Salem Bin Suweid, a 
security official who filmed the suspects during the crime 
reenactment, and a GID officer who testified that the two 
Libyan suspects "both confessed without being subjected to 
any form of torture or duress."  The court is adjourned until 
October 8, when the defense will begin presenting its 
evidence.  A defense attorney said in a press interview that 
the defendants are expected to take the witness stand at that 
time. 
 
2.  (U)  Separately, Jordan's state prosecutor on October 1 
formally charged Mohammad al-Shalabi (aka Abu Sayyaf) with 
plotting terrorist acts and possessing explosive materials 
with illicit intent.  Al-Shalabi, who was arrested September 
27, confessed to belonging to the "Mafraq cell" that 
Jordanian authorities disrupted in December 2002 for plotting 
to attack US interests and Jordanian intelligence officers, 
according to press reports.   Military Prosecutor Col. 
Mahmoud 'Ubaydat said that al-Shalabi admitted to having 
close contact with two of the suspects in the Mafraq cell, 
Faisal al-Khalidi and Zuhair Shdeifat.  He also confessed to 
owning handgrenades and shooting at police officers during 
clashes with security forces in Ma'an last November. 
Al-Shalabi denied links to al-Qa'ida, however.  Al-Shalabi 
will be put on trial on October 8. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site 
through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. 
GNEHM