Jordanian soldier sentenced to life for killing three US troops
A military court has convicted a Jordanian soldier of killing three US military trainers at a Jordanian air base and sentenced him to life in prison with hard labour.
The defendant, who had pleaded not guilty, has said he opened fire because he feared the base was coming under attack.
As he was led out of the courtroom, 1st Sgt Marik al-Tuwayha said: "I have all the respect for the king, but I was doing my job."
The parents of one of the killed US soldiers and the father and sister of another sat quietly as the judge announced his ruling to a crowded court.
Jim Moriarty, the father of one of the soldiers, wrote later in a letter to the Jordanian embassy in the United States that the "successful prosecution" was a "good first step, but it is only the first step".
In the letter, Mr Moriarty listed several demands to Jordan, including allowing the defendant to be re-interviewed by the FBI about his motive and releasing security camera footage of the shooting that he said was entered into the trial records.
Some of the relatives have criticised Jordan's handling of the case and called for the death penalty, saying the maximum possible sentence in this case, of life in prison, was inadequate.
The three US army Green Berets were killed on November 4 as their convoy waited at the gate to the al-Jafr base in southern Jordan.
Jordan initially said the Americans triggered the shooting by disobeying entry rules, a claim that was later withdrawn.
The trial "confirmed that the deceased US service members followed all established procedures when accessing the base the day of the incident, as we have noted before", the US embassy in Jordan said in a statement. "We are reassured to see the perpetrator brought to justice."
The victims were 27-year-old Staff Sgt Matthew C Lewellen of Kirksville, Missouri; 30-year-old Staff Sgt Kevin J McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt James F Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas.
Jordan is a member of a US-led military coalition against Islamic State extremists in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. Jordan hosts troops, including trainers, from the US and other countries as part of the anti-IS battle.
The military court judge, Col Mohammed al-Afeef, said at the start of the trial that the defendant had no known ties to militant groups.
This left questions about a possible motive.
The defendant and some of the gate guards testified that they heard what might have been a pistol shot coming from the direction of the US convoy. The defendant said he opened fire because he feared the base was coming under attack. Other guards said they held their fire because they could not determine the source of the sound.
The defendant has said he had "no intention of killing anyone" and felt no resentment towards Americans.
However, security camera footage, as described by the bereaved relatives, shows the shooting lasted for six minutes. They have said the video shows the defendant reloading and shooting at Americans who were waving their hands and yelling: "We're Americans! We're friendly."
The video was shown to the family by US law enforcement, but has not been released to the public.
Some of the relatives have questioned why the video was not screened during the trial and why the court did not ask a surviving US soldier to testify, despite what they said was his willingness to do so.
Defence lawyer Subhi al-Mawas said he would appeal against the court ruling.
AP
