AMMAN: A court in Jordan on Tuesday sentenced nine militants to prison terms ranging from three years to life for a shooting rampage two years ago in an ancient castle in the southern city of Karak that killed 10 people, including a Canadian tourist.
The court said the group of nine were involved in helping Islamist militants in attacks on the area surrounding an ancient crusader castle. The gunfights also left four militants dead.
The state security court found them guilty of “abetting terrorist acts that led to the death of human beings” and committing “terrorist acts using automatic weapons.”
Militants from Al-Qaeda and other radical groups have long targeted the US-allied kingdom and dozens of militants are currently serving long prison terms.
King Abdullah, an ally of the Western powers against Islamist militancy and a defender of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel, has been among the most vocal leaders in the region in warning of threats posed by radical groups.
Jordan plays a prominent role in the US-led coalition against Daesh, providing military, logistical and intelligence support, according to Western diplomats and regional intelligence sources.
Jordan has been relatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and Islamist militancy that have swept the Middle East since 2011, but it maintains a high level of vigilance.
Jordanian court sentences nine militants in Karak shooting
Jordanian court sentences nine militants in Karak shooting
- The shooting rampage took place two years ago in an ancient castle in the southern city of Karak
- The court said the group of nine were involved in helping Islamist militants in attacks on the area
Iraq executes a former senior officer under Saddam for the 1980 killing of a Shiite cleric
- Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Saddam’s secular Baathist government whose dissent intensified after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran
- The cleric’s execution in 1980 became a symbol of oppression under Saddam
BAGHDAD: Iraq announced on Monday that a high-level security officer during the rule of Saddam Hussein has been hanged for his involvement in the 1980 killing of a prominent Shiite cleric.
The National Security Service said that Saadoun Sabri Al-Qaisi, who held the rank of major general under Saddam and was arrested last year, was convicted of “grave crimes against humanity,” including the killing of prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr, members of the Al-Hakim family, and other civilians.
The agency did not say when Al-Qaisi was executed.
Al-Sadr was a leading critic of Iraq’s secular Baathist government and Saddam, his opposition intensifying following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which heightened Saddam’s fears of a Shiite-led uprising in Iraq.
In 1980, as the government moved against Shiite activists, Al-Sadr and his sister Bint Al-Huda — a religious scholar and activist who spoke out against government oppression — were arrested. Reports indicate they were tortured before being executed by hanging on April 8, 1980.
The execution sparked widespread outrage at the time and remains a symbol of repression under Saddam’s rule. Saddam was from Iraq’s Sunni minority.
Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, authorities have pursued former officials accused of crimes against humanity and abuses against political and religious opponents. Iraq has faced criticism from human rights groups over its application of the death penalty.
