‘Terrorist’ who stabbed British tourist condemned to 15-year-jail term

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison after convicting him of stabbing a British tourist in Amman in February 2017.

The court had declared the defendant guilty of conducting terrorist acts by stabbing the British tourist in downtown Amman with a kitchen knife in February and handed him a life sentence.

However, the SSC tribunal decided to reduce the sentence to 15 years “because the defendant expressed regret and was young therefore deserved a second chance in life,” a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The court said the defendant attacked the victim with a knife while in the downtown area. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and was treated for artificial stab wounds to the shoulder.

 The tribunal comprised Judges Mohammad Afifi, Ahmad qatarneh and Safwan Zubi.

The SSC Prosecutor Samir Barmawi had asked the court to inflict the maximum punishment on the defendant.

The verdict, which was issued on Wednesday, will automatically be reviewed by the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.