Minor sentenced to 5 years in juvenile centre for promoting terror ideology

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a December Amman Court of Appeal's ruling sentencing a minor to five years at a juvenile centre after being convicted of promoting terrorist ideology and attacking liquor stores in Jordan.

The defendant was convicted by the appeals court of promoting Daesh ideology, plotting subversive acts and attempting to join a terror organisation and throwing Molotov cocktails at two liquor stores in the Kingdom on February 12, 2016.

Court documents said the defendant met four adults "who were supporters of Daesh terror group while praying at a mosque in Naser neighbourhood and adopted their takfiri ideology".

The four adults were tried separately at the State Security Court on the same charges.

“The defendant was convinced that Daesh applied the proper Sharia [Islamic law] and that the government did not abide by the Islamic teachings,” court papers said.

The defendant joined the adults' plots to "attack liquor stores in Jordan and to distribute videos and material that promoted Daesh ideology".

"The four adults also taught the minor how to manufacture Molotov cocktails and how to use them in attacks against establishments," the court papers said.

No one was injured in the attacks on the two liquor stores, but the stores were slightly damaged, court papers said. The defendant and the four other men were arrested a few days after the attacks occurred, according to court documents.

The SSC general prosecutor asked the higher court to uphold the sentence stating that the Amman Appeals Court followed the proper procedures when sentencing the defendant. The defendant contested, through his court-appointed lawyer, the court's ruling charging that the court did not follow the proper legal procedures.

The lawyer also argued that the prosecutor failed to present “any solid evidence that would implicate his client with the charges”. However, the higher court ruled that the SSC followed the proper procedures and the defendant deserved the verdict he received.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zu’bi, Yassin Abdullat, Majid Azab and Bassim Mubeidin.