DEATH SENTENCE FOR ISIL CELL MEMBERS

Jordan condemns to hang five men found guilty of ‘acts of terrorism’ and jails a further 16,

AMMAN // A Jordanian court sentenced five members of an ISIL cell to death by hanging yesterday for acts of terrorism.

The state security court in Amman also gave jail terms of between three and 15 years to another 16 Jordanians in the same case.

They were found guilty of deadly acts of terrorism, the manufacture of explosives and possession of weapons for use in acts of terrorism and recruiting people for terrorist organisations. The group of 21 were members of an ISIL cell that was bro- ken up in March during a security operation in the northern town of Irbid, near the border with Syria.

Seven suspected militants and a member of the Jordanian security forces were killed during the operation.

The authorities announced later that they had foiled ISIL attacks in the kingdom, which had already been hit by deadly attacks over the past year.

Ten people were killed in a shooting rampage on December 18 in the tourist destination of Karak. The attack was claimed by ISIL and marked the first time the group had tar- geted civilians in Jordan. Two days later, in a raid on a house in Karak province, the authorities arrested a man suspected of funding the attack.

Jordan is part of the US- led coalition battling ISIL and has carried out air strikes targeting the extremists. It also hosts coalition troops on its territory.

The kingdom has been hit by four attacks this year, including a suicide attack in June that killed seven guards near the border with Syria. That attack was the first to be claimed by ISIL in Jordan.