AMMAN, Jordan — A Jordanian court levels terrorism charges against a man suspected of wounding eight people in a November knife attack at a popular tourist site.
The suspect, Moustafa Abourouis, 22, faces up to 20 years in prison after the stabbing of three Mexicans, a Swiss woman, a Jordanian tour guide and a security officer at the Roman city of Jerash.
At a hearing open to the press, prosecutors accuse Abourouis of committing a “terrorist act” and “promoting the ideas of a terrorist group” — a reference to the Islamic State jihadist group.
Abourouis, who is of Palestinian origin and grew up in the refugee camp of Souf, was arrested immediately after the attack at Jerash, close to the camp and around 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Amman.
The Jordanian prosecutor accuses Abourouis of trying to join IS, one of whose operatives in Syria had “ordered him to commit attacks against foreigners.”
Two alleged accomplices, also Jordanians of Palestinian origin, are charged with terrorism in the same case. All three plead not guilty.
The court is scheduled to hear witnesses next Sunday, with the date for a verdict to be confirmed.
— AFP
Illustrative: Tourists walk through the main street, the South Cardo, in the well preserved Ancient Roman city of Gerasa, in the city of Jerash, Jordan, November 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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