AMMAN, 4 October 2005 — Four Jordanians accused of planning to join insurgents in Iraq and recruiting fighters pleaded not guilty at the start of their trial yesterday, judicial sources said. Last month, the state prosecutor indicted the four men on charges of “carrying out activity not approved by the government, which jeopardized Jordan’s relations with another country,” according to the charge sheet.
The four defendants, who were arrested in July, denied the charge when it was read to them by the head of Jordan’s state security court, judicial sources said. A new hearing was schedule for next week but no specific date was given. According to the charge sheet obtained by AFP alleged ringleader Abdullah Mrayat, 28, traveled to Syria in May with the intention of joining fighters in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdallah has postponed a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories for security reasons, Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said yesterday. “The king’s visit to the Palestinian territories and Israel has been postponed, not canceled. The security situation does not allow the visit to take place for the time being,” Moasher told a news conference.
He said contacts were under way between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to set a date for the visit. Muasher’s remarks came amid reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon were to hold talks soon, after canceling a summit due to have taken place over the weekend.
