Jordan king pardons terror convicts

Jordan's King Abdullah II has pardoned 12 Jordanians described by local press on Friday as Salafists, at least six of whom were convicted on terrorism charges in 2006. The king issued a decree on Thursday giving the 12 a special pardon, state-run Petra news agency reported without elaborating. Independent daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm said Friday the men are Salafists, who espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the early days of the faith. Of the group, Osama Abu Hazim, Hatem Nsur, Mohammad Arabiat, Yazan Hleiq, Muath Breizat and Feisal Rueidan were sentenced to 10 years for plotting to attack foreign tourists, hotels, intelligence officers and US military instructors in Jordan. They have been also charged with having connections to Al-Qaeda.