US embassy cable - 04AMMAN1870

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001870 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, PTER, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: JORDANIAN COURT PONDERS VERDICT IN FOLEY 
ASSASSINATION CASE; BEGINS TRIAL OF SUSPECTED ISRAELI SPY 
 
REF: AMMAN 0610 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (U)  Jordan's State Security Court proceeded with a 
number of high-profile cases during the last two weeks.  The 
attorneys for accused assassins of U.S. diplomat Lawrence 
Foley concluded their argument on February 24, and the judge 
adjourned indefinitely to consider his verdict.  The Court in 
late February also opened the trial of a Jordanian government 
worker accused of spying for Israel.  Meanwhile, Jordan's 
State Prosecutor on March 2 called for the death penalty of 
13 men, including local extremist Muhammad Ahmad al-Shalabi 
(aka Abu Sayyaf), who are accused of planning attacks against 
U.S. and Jordanian targets.  On March 7, three men, including 
the nephew of Jordanian fugitive extremist Abu Mus'ab 
al-Zarqawi, retracted previous confessions in a plot to 
attack U.S. and Israeli tourists in Jordan.   Finally, on 
March 9, defense attorneys for a suspected al-Qa'ida/Ansar 
al-Islam member who is accused of plotting subversive acts 
called its last witness before the court.  End Summary. 
 
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DEFENSE RESTS IN FOLEY TRIAL 
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2.  (U)  The attorneys for suspected assassins in the October 
2002 slaying of U.S. diplomat Lawrence Foley concluded their 
case on February 24 with a call for the court to dismiss the 
charges against their clients.  The prosecution is seeking 
the death penalty for the defendants, chief among them 
suspected triggerman Salem Bin Suweid, a Libyan national.  In 
their concluding argument, the defense contested the court's 
jurisdiction, arguing: "Our clients should have been tried at 
the Criminal Court and not at a military tribunal."  They 
repeated their charge that their clients' earlier confessions 
were extracted under duress during their detention.  Judge 
Fawaz Bqour adjourned the session indefinitely to consider 
his verdict in the case. 
 
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ACCUSED ISRAELI SPY GOES ON TRIAL 
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3.  (U)  The State Security Court on February 26 began the 
closed trial of a Jordanian man accused of spying for Israel. 
 The 42-year-old defendant, Khalid Mohammad, pleaded not 
guilty to charges that he provided Israel with information 
about the Jordanian military and other installations, 
according to press reports.  The prosecution alleges that 
Israeli intelligence recruited Mohammad in 1998 during a 
joint Jordanian-Israeli project when he was employed by the 
Royal Geographical Institute in Jordan.  Jordanian 
authorities arrested him in October 2003, and claim they 
found military maps in his possession.  If convicted of 
espionage charges, Mohammad could be sentenced to life in 
prison.  The trial is set to resume on March 14. 
 
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PROSECUTOR CALLS FOR DEATH IN ABU SAYYAF TRIAL 
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4.  (U)  Jordan's State Prosecutor Mahmoud 'Ubaydat on March 
2 called for the death penalty as he wrapped up his case 
against 13 individuals, including three fugitive Saudis, who 
are accused of plotting attacks against U.S. and Jordanian 
targets, including the U.S. Embassy in Amman.  Jordanian 
extremist Muhammad Ahmad al-Shalabi (aka Abu Sayyaf) is the 
most prominent suspect in the case.  Jordanian authorities 
arrested Abu Sayyaf in September 2003, who also was wanted 
for his involvement in deadly clashes in his southern 
hometown with Jordanian forces in November 2002. 
 
5.  (U)  All but one defendant in the case continue to 
maintain their innocence.  Zuhair Chdeifat has told 
authorities that one of the Saudi fugitive suspects was to 
have taken them to Afghanistan but instead put them in 
contact with a Jordanian man, identified only as Abu 'Ubayda. 
 "Abu 'Ubayda asked us to transport weapons from Baghdad to 
Amman, which I did along with three of the accused," he said 
in October, according to press reports.  He told authorities 
they successfully smuggled 20 bombs and rocket-propelled 
grenades into Jordan "believing they were for defending the 
Kingdom."  However, "Abu 'Ubayda convinced us to go after 
American targets in Jordan as part of our own jihad," he 
said.  The case is adjourned until March 23 when the defense 
will begin presenting its case. 
 
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ZARQAWI'S NEPHEW, ALLEGED ACCOMPLICES RETRACT CONFESSIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
6.  (U)  Three men, including the nephew of fugitive 
Jordanian extremist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, who are accused of 
plotting to attack American and Israeli tourists in Jordan 
retracted their confessions during a court appearance on 
March 7.  In what is becoming a common refrain among 
suspected terrorists incarcerated in Jordan, the defense 
claimed their confessions were extracted under duress during 
detention.  The case will resume on March 14 with the 
defense's presentation of its witnesses. 
 
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AL-RIYATI'S DEFENSE CALLS WITNESSES 
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7.  (U)  The Court on March 9 heard the last defense witness 
for Ahmad al-Riyati, suspected of planning attacks against 
U.S. and Jordanian targets in Jordan.  A government physician 
told the court that he examined al-Riyati three times since 
his mid-2003 arrest.  Initially, he noticed that the suspect 
suffered from lack of sleep and food and failed to recognize 
people, adding that his weak physical and mental condition 
"could be attributed to being imprisoned or being subjected 
to psychological pressure."  However, by the third exam, the 
doctor said al-Riyati's condition had improved.  Al-Riyati, 
who has retracted an earlier confession claiming it was 
extracted by torture in detention, is suspected of having 
links to al-Qai'da and Ansar al-Islam.  Fourteen others 
accused in the case remain at large.  Judge Bqour adjourned 
the case until March 17. 
 
Visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman or access the site 
through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. 
HALE