Ammon News -

A man who stabbed 9 tourists in Jerash in 2019 was Tuesday handed the death penalty after the State Security Court (SSC) found him guilty of plotting and carrying out a terrorist attack among other serious crimes.

The attack occurred in November last year when the convict assaulted a tourist group, stabbing three Mexicans, a Swiss national, a tourist guide, a driver, and three policemen.

In a session held Tuesday, the SSC said in its verdict that the convict was also found guilty of trying to join armed and terrorist organizations and promoting the ideology of terrorist groups.

In addition to the death sentence, the convict was handed two 20-year and 7-year prison terms, but the court said the most severe punishment, death, shall apply.

Furthermore, the court sentenced an accomplice of the first convict to death, but decided to commute the sentence to a 20-year prison term to "give him the opportunity to rehabilitate and correct his course".

A third accomplice was handed a 7-year term by the court. The SSC said its verdicts are subject to appeal before the competent judicial authorities.

The court noted that the three convicts, all residents of Jerash, have followed news and publications disseminated by the terrorist Daesh group and started to support the organization and promote its ideology.

Further, the court added, the first and second convicts tried unsuccessfully to join Daesh before deciding to disseminate 350 publications calling for supporting the terrorist organization in Jerash.