Lawyers defending the 15 alleged followers of Moslem...

Lawyers defending the 15 alleged followers of Moslem militant Osama bin Laden questioned the legality of the prosecution case and demanded the dismissal of charges of plotting terrorist attacks. The lawyers also queried the jurisdiction of the three-man security court. The suspects, 13 Jordanians of Palestinian origin, an Iraqi and an Algerian, all pleaded not guilty to the charges that also include possession of weapons and explosives. The defence said that the defendants were illegally detained for a least a month by the mukhabarat (intelligence) after they were rounded up in December 1999, before their testimonies were given to the state security prosecutor. Lawyer Zuhair Younis alleged that the testimonies were extracted after the suspects were " beaten, tortured and threatened." But Chief Judge Raqad quashed defence objections, saying they were groundless, and ordered the trial to proceed.