Two Jordanians sentenced to 15 years for planning IS-linked attacks
Nehal El-Sherif
AMMAN, Nehal El-Sherif (dpa)– A Jordanian military court sentenced two people to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for planning to attack military targets, foreigners and churches in Amman.
The two men had been in contact with the Islamic State extremist group, which had instructed them to launch the attacks.
The State Security Court said the men had agreed with Islamic State that the group would send them the necessary funding after they inspected a church, which they were planning to attack, according to al-Ghad newspaper.
The court held ten sessions on Wednesday, where it also convicted other suspects of promoting and attempting to join Islamic State, giving them sentences of between three and five years in prison, according to the official news agency Petra.
Four other suspects were found not guilty of charges that included promoting a terrorist group and recruiting militants for Islamic State.
Jordan is a key pro-Western ally and a supporter of US-led campaigns against Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
A Jordanian pilot, captured by Islamic State fighters in Syria after his plane crashed, was burnt to death by the group in January 2015.
In response, Jordan launched further airstrikes on the group and executed two jihadist militants who had already been sentenced to death for other terrorist offences.
In June 2016, Jordan declared the area on the Syrian border a military zone after a deadly attack claimed by Islamic State targeted a nearby border post.
Later in the same year, 10 people were killed by gunmen inside a castle in Jordan's al-Karak city, in an attack claimed by Islamic State.
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Four other suspects were found not guilty of charges that included promoting a terrorist group and recruiting militants for Islamic State.
Jordan is a key pro-Western ally and a supporter of US-led campaigns against Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
A Jordanian pilot, captured by Islamic State fighters in Syria after his plane crashed, was burnt to death by the group in January 2015.
In response, Jordan launched further airstrikes on the group and executed two jihadist militants who had already been sentenced to death for other terrorist offences.
In June 2016, Jordan declared the area on the Syrian border a military zone after a deadly attack claimed by Islamic State targeted a nearby border post.
Later in the same year, 10 people were killed by gunmen inside a castle in Jordan's al-Karak city, in an attack claimed by Islamic State.
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