This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009733 
 
SIPDIS 
 
S/CT FOR SHORE AND SALAZAR ALSO FOR NCTC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: 2005 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: STATE 193439 
 
¶1. As requested reftel, post provides below its recommended 
text for the Jordan section of the Global Terrorism Report. 
 
¶2. Jordan continued its strong support for efforts to combat 
terrorism in 2005.  The Government of Jordan has an important 
interest in defeating Al-Qaeda and similar groups, and has 
supported forums for tolerance and pro-coexistence religious 
education during the last year. The GOJ aggressively pursued 
the network of fugitive Jordanian terrorist Abu Mus,ab 
al-Zarqawi, who is deemed responsible for attacks in Jordan 
and Iraq, including the November 9 hotel bombings in Amman 
that killed 63 people, and the August 19 rocket attack in 
Aqaba, Jordan that also impacted in Eilat, Israel.  The GOJ 
publicly condemned terrorist acts throughout the world, 
introduced tightened security measures, and began drafting 
new anti-terror legislation.  Jordanian security forces 
disrupted numerous terrorist plots during the year, including 
several that targeted U.S. interests, while Jordan,s State 
Security Court, which has purview over terrorism-related 
cases, processed a heavy caseload, many of which involved 
Zarqawi-affiliated suspects. 
 
¶3. In mid-November in response to the hotel bombings, members 
of the royal family including Queen Rania and Princess Basma, 
led a series of street protests, vigils, and marches against 
terrorism; the largest march drawing approximately 200,000 
people.  King Abdullah continued to speak out forcefully 
against terrorism and Islamic extremism.  Jordan worked to 
promote religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and shared 
values between civilizations with a number of initiatives, 
including the International Islamic Conference in Amman in 
July.  In December, the King called on the Organization of 
the Islamic Conference to dedicate itself to combating 
extremism. 
 
¶4. The November 9 hotel bombings, the country,s worst-ever 
terrorist attacks, left many Jordanians shocked.  The 
targeting of a wedding reception in particular eroded support 
for Zarqawi and al-Qaeda within Jordan.  Surveys taken in the 
weeks after the bombings show that approximately 80 percent 
of those polled had negative opinions of al Qaeda and that 90 
percent believed al Qaeda was a terrorist organization; 
approximately 65 percent said their views had changed as a 
result of the November 9 bombings.  The televised confession 
of would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, part of the 
GOJ,s campaign to rally average citizens against Islamic 
terrorism, also served to reduce support for Zarqawi and 
Islamic extremists. 
 
¶5. The State Security Court moved forward on several 
high-profile al-Qaeda-related terrorism cases in 2005.  The 
case against 13 men accused of plotting a chemical bomb 
attack in Amman in April 2004 continued in 2005 as reputed 
cell leader Azmi Jayusi threatened court officials and 
admitted meeting with Abu Mus,ab al Zarqawi in preparation 
for the attack.  In November, prosecutors demanded the death 
penalty for the plotters.  Four of the accused, including 
Zarqawi, are being tried in absentia.  Zarqawi is also being 
tried in absentia for a December 2004 attack at the 
Karama-Trebil border crossing, and was already sentenced to 
death by the SSC for the 2002 murder of U.S. diplomat 
Laurence Foley in 2004.  In November, the SSC charged Muammar 
Jaghbir with plotting subversive acts for the 2003 attack 
against the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad that killed 17. 
Jaghbir, who was arrested in Iraq in 2004 by U.S. forces and 
handed over to Jordanian authorities, is also standing trial 
for the assassination of Laurence Foley.  In September the 
SSC sentenced twelve Islamist militants to prison terms 
ranging from one and a half to three years, falling short of 
the maximum penalties -- death or 15 years of hard labor -- 
for plotting terrorist attacks against the U.S. and Israeli 
embassies.  During their sentencing, the defendants hailed 
the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks on the U.S., and claimed 
that the verdict would not dissuade them from pursuing the 
path of jihad. 
 
¶6. Several non-al Qaeda-related SSC cases were heard in 2005. 
 The highly contentious trial of more than 100 Jordanians 
charged with involvement in the 2002 Ma,an riots, which left 
six dead, began in early 2005.  Ninety-five of the defendants 
are being tried in absentia.  The main defendant in the case, 
Abu Sayyaf, retracted his earlier confession claiming he was 
tortured and forced to confess.  In January, the SSC 
sentenced two men to two and one-half year prison terms for 
plotting attacks against foreign diplomats in Amman, and in 
October the SSC sentenced five Jordanians to prison terms 
ranging from one year to five years hard labor for plotting 
attacks in Israel and against tourists in Jordan, and another 
three men to five years imprisonment for plotting attacks on 
liquor stores and tourists in Aqaba.  In November, the SSC 
said it would re-examine guilty verdicts it had issued 
against seven militants convicted of a bungled terror 
conspiracy to use poison gas against American and Israeli 
tourists during Jordan's millennium celebrations in December 
1999 after an appeals court ordered a retrial on the grounds 
that the plotters may be covered under a general amnesty 
issued by King Abdullah. 
 
¶7. In mid-November the GOJ proposed new anti-terror 
legislation that will set harsh penalties for anyone who 
condones or supports acts of terror.  The proposed bill, 
still in the drafting stage, will allow authorities to hold 
terror suspects indefinitely, and may require Jordanian 
citizens who rent apartments or office space to 
non-Jordanians to report specific, personal details about 
tenants to the authorities within 48 hours of signing a 
lease. 
 
¶8. Border security remains a top concern of Jordanian 
officials.  Since the Aqaba rocket attack in August, the GOJ 
has enforced strict security measures at the Karama-Trebil 
border crossing, including thorough manual searches of all 
vehicles and persons attempting to enter Jordan. 
Additionally, Jordanian authorities have issued a zero 
tolerance policy towards fuel smuggling.  Jordan and Iraq 
signed a security agreement establishing a committee that 
will exchange information on terrorists, organized crime, and 
border infiltration. 
 
¶9. In the wake of the November 9 hotel bombings, Jordanian 
Public Security Department Commanders met with 
representatives of hotels, banks, restaurants and tourist 
sites to discuss increasing and adopting security measures to 
prevent future attacks.  Many hotels, shopping malls and 
other major institutions have installed metal detectors, and 
electronic surveillance systems.  In response to King 
Abdullah,s call for a strategy to preempt terrorist plots, 
23 Jordanian academics have joined to form an NGO called "The 
Scientific Society to Combat Terrorism."  The Society's 
members will serve as scientific and technical advisors for 
security services charged with protecting Jordan from 
terrorism, and will train customs officials on how to uncover 
forged documents, and combat smuggling. 
 
¶10. The Embassy point of contact for the report is poloff 
Mark Petzolt. Tel: (962) (6) 590-6594.  Unclassified e-mail 
address: Petzoltma@state.gov. 
RUBINSTEIN