Jordan court sets Monday for ruling in plot to destabilize kingdom

Security members guard a military court where the trial of Bassem Awadallah and Sherif Hassan Zaid, is set to take place in Amman, Jordan. (File/Reuters)
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Updated 06 July 2021
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Jordan court sets Monday for ruling in plot to destabilize kingdom

  • The court decided to file the case under ‘scrutiny,’ and adjourned the session until July 12 to read the verdict

LONDON: Jordan’s security court will issue a ruling in a sedition case on Monday.
“The state security court held a new session in the sedition case, in the presence of the governing body, the representative of the Public Prosecution, the state security court’s attorney general, the first and second defendants, and their defense attorneys,” a statement on state run Petra news agency said on Tuesday.
The prosecution accuses former finance minister Bassem Awadallah, along with another man, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, of taking part in a plot to destabilize the country.
Both are accused of working with Prince Hamza, the former crown prince and half brother of of King Abdullah II.
“During the course of this session, and according to the legally established court roles, the defense attorneys presented their clients’ affidavit, which included, in accordance with legal procedures, the trial records,” the statement added.
It said the court had decided to file the case under “scrutiny,” and adjourned the session until Monday to read the verdict.
Awadallah and Bin Zaid have pleaded not guilty, while Prince Hamzah has been placed under house arrest since April.


Armed clashes erupt in Aleppo between Syrian army and Kurdish-led SDF

Updated 19 min 48 sec ago
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Armed clashes erupt in Aleppo between Syrian army and Kurdish-led SDF

  • Two civilians were killed and eight others, including two children, were injured
  • Defense Ministry accused SDF of targeting homes after they suddenly withdrew from jointly operated checkpoints, fired at government forces

LONDON: The Syrian Ministry of Defense accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces of launching a surprise attack on the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian Arab Army in Aleppo on Monday.

The clashes erupted in the densely populated neighborhoods of Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud, which have a Kurdish majority.

The Ministry of Health announced that two civilians were killed and eight others, including two children, were injured. It condemned the attack on a residential area near Al-Razi Hospital by SDF forces.

Syrian authorities also reported that one member of the Internal Security Forces and another from the army were injured, along with several civil defense personnel.

The Ministry of Defense denied the claims that the army initiated the conflict. It accused the SDF of targeting homes after they suddenly withdrew from jointly operated checkpoints and fired at government forces with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade shells, and mortars.

Injured civilians were admitted to Al-Razi Hospital in the city, and two Syrian Civil Defense personnel were injured while on duty at the Shihan roundabout, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

Fighting has spread to the Syriac Quarter, Sheikh Taha and Al-Jamiliya neighborhoods and to areas between the Shihan and Al-Larmon roundabouts, north of Aleppo, prompting dozens of families to flee their homes toward safer locations in Khalidiya and Nile Street, and closing the main Gaziantep-Aleppo highway. The civil defense accused SDF forces of shooting at one of their vehicles, which carried four members.

Azzam Al-Gharib, the governor of Aleppo, urged citizens to avoid approaching the clash sites or roads leading to the city center until further notice.