Two men get 15 years for planning to join terrorist group, plotting attacks

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July State Security Court ruling sentencing two men to 15 years in prison each after convicting them of attempting to join terrorist groups and plotting attacks on police officers in September 2017.

The court declared the defendants, who were supporters of the Daesh extremist group, guilty of threatening to conduct terrorist activities against security officers and entities and handed them the maximum sentence.

Court papers said one of the defendants was already imprisoned for supporting the Daesh ideology in recent years.

When he was released from prison in 2016, the court continued, he met with the second defendant and convinced him to carry out subversive acts in the Kingdom.

"The defendant used all his means to spread the Daesh ideology and to convince the second defendant…," court transcripts said.

The defendants plotted to rob financial and industrial establishments to support their attacks in the Kingdom, court papers said.

"The defendants also decided to abduct security officers and SSC judges," the court papers said.

However, the two were arrested before being able to carry out any of their plans, the court documents said.

The defendants, through their lawyer, contested the verdict arguing that the SSC failed to present any solid evidence that could implicate them.

The lawyer also argued that the SSC relied on weak evidence and unreliable witnesses when issuing its verdict, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, the SSC's attorney general had asked the higher court to uphold the ruling stating that the court abided by the proper legal procedures when sentencing the defendant.

The higher court ruled that the SSC followed the proper procedures when sentencing the defendants and they deserved the verdict they received.

The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Naji Zubi, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat and Saeed Mugheid.