(11 Feb 2002)
1. Various exteriors of court
2. Security in front of court
3. Defendant Raed Hijazi being led into court and walked into a cage
4. Various of court session
5. Colonel Tayel Raqad, Jordanian Military Court Judge
6. Wide shot of court
7. Mid shot of Hijazi's father
8. Various of court
9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Colonel Tayel Raqad, Jordanian Military Court Judge:
"The punishment, according to the majority decision (of the judges), regarding the first charge for the defendant Raed Mohammad Hassan Hijazi - death penalty according to Act 12 - 2 from the Criminal Justice Act. Death penalty according to Act 11 from the Criminal Justice Act. Guilty of possessing firearms according to Act 76. Fifteen-year prison sentence for possessing explosives according to Act 12 - 1."
10. UPSOUND: (Arabic) Defendant Raed Hijazi (speaking as he was being led away)
"This is an unjust sentence dictated by Sharon. You are all worse than Sharon. Even Israel will not give death penalties for its prisoners."
11. Defence lawyers leaving court
12. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Tayseer Diab, defence lawyer:
"I was expecting this sentence, we will appeal this verdict before the court of appeal."
13. Set up of Hijazi's father, Mohammad
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mohammad, Hijazi's father:
"These sentences are unjust and inhuman sentences and they are based on doubt and false accusations."
15. Police convoy with prisoner driving away from court
STORYLINE:
A military court condemned a Jordanian-American to death Monday for plotting terror attacks against American and Israeli tourists during Jordan's millennium celebrations.
Raed Hijazi was convicted of nine charges, including possessing arms and explosives and conspiring to detonate bombs at sites frequented by U-S and Israeli tourists during the millennium celebrations in Jordan.
He had pleaded innocent to the charges.
The court acquitted Hijazi of belonging to an illegal organisation, which although it was never named in court is known to have been al-Qaida.
Before the sentencing on Monday, the judge said there was no evidence that the illegal organisation had a formal structure or membership in Jordan.
Jordanian officials said Hijazi had confessed to planning terrorist attacks using deadly gas against American and Israeli tourists.
In the confession, he also admitted that he received bomb-making training in Afghan guerrilla camps run by Osama bin Laden.
But Hijazi told the court his confession had been extracted under duress.
He claimed he had no links with bin Laden and that he didn't plot terrorist attacks in Jordan or plan to harm Israelis because to do so would be against the teachings of Islam.
The death sentence can be appealed.
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