AMMAN, 31 October 2005 — Jordan’s state prosecutor yesterday indicted 15 Jordanian suspects on charges of infiltrating the border to Syria to join insurgents fighting against US troops in Iraq, judicial sources said.
The suspects, five of whom are on the run, are charged with carrying out activity aimed at undermining ties with a foreign nation, infiltrating the border, aiding infiltrators and illegal possession of an automatic weapon, according to the charge sheet.
If found guilty they could face up to 15 years in jail with hard labor, judicial sources said. The charge sheet, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, said that 10 of the men were arrested in July after they returned to Jordan from neighboring Syria, having failed to enter Iraq by illegal means.
Five of the suspects are listed as fugitives and were given 10 days from yesterday to turn themselves in by the state prosecutor.
The suspects “agreed to fight US troops in Iraq, recruit fighters and raise funds to carry out their mission”, the charges read.
