Amman, Sept 13: Jordan has uncovered a "terror" cell led by members of al-Qaeda and the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam who had conspired to attack US and local targets, newspapers reported today. Military prosecutor Mahmoud Obeidat has laid charges against 13 Jordanians and two Iraqis, accusing them of "conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks against US and Israeli targets across the world," the reports said.
The accused also plotted to attack "tourists, foreigners and members of Jordan's security forces in Jordan," the reports said, adding that members of the group received weapons and explosives training in Afghanistan and Iran.
Obeidat accused the 15 of being members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network and Ansar al-Islam, an extremist Iraqi Kurdish group, according to two dailies that published excerpts from the charge sheets. He built up his case following the arrest on march 30 of Jordanian suspect Ahmad al-Riyati by US troops in Iraqi Kurdistan and his subsequent extradition to Jordan, the reports said.
Fugitives identified in the charge sheet include Najmeddin Faraj Ahmad, alias Mullah Krekar, who is believed to head Ansar al-Islam (supporters of Islam), a Taliban-style group that emerged in late 2001 in northern Iraq. Unlike the other suspects, who are said to be in Iran, Mullah Krekar has been living in Norway as a refugee since 1991. Bureau Report