MPs charged over Zarqawi visit

2006-06-13 10:42

Amman - Jordan's military prosecutor has charged four Islamist MPs with inciting sectarianism for paying their condolences to the family of slain al-Qaeda Iraq frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of the Islamist Action Front (IAF) party told AFP on Tuesday.

"According to the prosecutor the deputies were charged with fuelling national discord and inciting sectarianism," Zaki Bani Rsheid said, adding that the IAF has appointed lawyers to defend them.

IAF deputies Mohammed Abu Fares, Jaafar Horani, Ali Abu Sukkar and Ibrahim Mashukhi were ordered to be held for 15 days on Monday by the military prosecution.

They were detained on Sunday and questioned by the general prosecutor who referred the case to the military prosecutor, saying a civil court was not competent to deal with their case.

Complaints

Government spokesperson Nasser Jawdeh said on Monday the four MPs "are being investigated on the accusation they have violated article 150 of the penal law on fuelling national discord and inciting sectarianism".

Their detention was ordered after the authorities received "eight formal complaints from relatives" of November hotel suicide bombings, claimed by Zarqawi's al-Qaeda group in Iraq, that killed 60 civilians, he said.

Jordanian-born Zarqawi was killed in a US air strike in Iraq on Wednesday.

One praised Zarqawi as a 'martyr'

The four IAF deputies visited the Zarqawi family home in Zarqa, north of Amman, on Friday to present their condolences to his family, triggering widespread condemnation in Jordan.

One of them, Abu Fares, poured oil on the fire by praising Zarqawi as a "martyr" who died fighting foreign occupation forces in Iraq, press reports said.

- AFP