Jordan acquits radical cleric of terrorism charges
Radical al-Qaida-linked preacher Abu Qatada, behind bars, speaks to guards after his verdict was announced by judges at the Jordanian military court, in Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014. AP
AMMAN, Jordan — A Jordanian military court has acquitted radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada on terrorism charges for his role in plotting attacks against Americans and Israelis.
The decision was handed down in the case presided over by civilian judges on Wednesday in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
The court ruled there was insufficient evidence against Abu Qatada and his defense lawyer, Husein Mubaidin, says he expects his client to be released within hours.
Abu Qatada was charged with involvement in plans to target Israeli and American tourists and Western diplomats in Jordan in 2000 — the so-called “millennium plot.”
Separately, the 53-year-old preacher was acquitted in June in another case, a foiled 1999 plan to attack an American school in Amman.
He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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