Middle East News
Jordan releases 64 Salafists, still detains 82 on terror charges
May 4, 2011, 17:20 GMT
Amman - The public prosecutor of Jordan's State Security Court on Wednesday released 64 Islamist extremists, known as Salafists, who were detained after clashes with policemen last month, judicial sources said.
Their lawyer, Musa Abdullat, described their release, for lack of evidence, as a 'positive step,' but called for freeing 82 Salafists who are still being held by the security authorities, including leaders of the group.
A total of 146 Salafists were arrested after the authorities charged them with launching a 'premeditated attack' on police in the city of Zarqa on April 15 after hundreds of Islamist fundamentalists held a rally at a mosque there to press for the release of jailed Salafists.
The Public Security Directorate said that 83 policemen were injured in the attack.
According to the indictment statement, the suspects were charged with carrying out acts of terrorism and belonging to the takfir ideology, which dubs other Muslims as atheists.
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