Arabic press review: Jordan thwarted Islamic State 'terrorist plot'

Jordan thwarts 'terrorist plot'

Security services in Jordan thwarted a terrorist plot by a person in his twenties who intended to target and kill Shia Muslims, according to Jordanian newspaper al-Rai.

The security services said the arrested man, a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) group, was planning to target and kill Shia who go to the shrine of Jafar al-Tayyar, a companion and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The shrine is located in the city of Karak, southern Jordan.

“The young man in his twenties is a supporter of the terrorist organisation IS, an adherent of its ideas and beliefs, and one of the promoters and supporters of its terrorist operations and alleged achievements,” the government-owned paper reported.

The young man reportedly became an IS follower in 2021, buying an automatic weapon and planning a deadly attack on the shrine. He was arrested by intelligence agents in August 2021 after someone reported him. 

Jordan's public prosecutor charged him with “threatening to carry out terrorist acts and promoting the ideas of a terrorist group”. The military State Security Court sentenced him to five years of labour, later reduced to four. 

Doctors killed in Sudan

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate said that 19 doctors have been killed since war broke out in Sudan on 15 April, while 70 percent of the healthcare sector in the country has been disrupted as a result of fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to al-Quds al-Arabi. 

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The union denounced the “violent and humiliating behaviour of the Rapid Support Forces", after a video showed a group of paramilitary fighters beating Magdi Wasfi, a senior surgeon and retired army officer. 

The group said that those forces arrested the doctor, who is in his seventies and assaulted him by beating and slapping him. It described the assault and humiliation of the doctor as a flagrant human rights violation.

The doctors called on both Sudan's warring parties to respect the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, while urging the International Committee of the Red Cross to inspect the health status of the detained doctor, who suffers from chronic diseases.

Egyptian minister died after 'medical error'

Former Egyptian health minister Ahmed Emad el-Din died as a result of a “medical error” while undergoing heart surgery, according to the Cairo 24 website.

An informed source told the publication: “Imad el-Din suffered a heart-related health crisis in a hospital in Cairo, and as a result, it was decided to perform a heart catheterisation operation at the hands of a cardiologist... During the surgery, a medical error occurred that caused his death.” 

According to the source, an extensive investigation was opened inside the hospital. El-Din was health minister from September 2015 to June 2018.

Health of Ennahda leader deteriorating

The health of Sahbi Atiq, a senior figure in Tunisia's Ennahda Movement, is deteriorating after 25 days of hunger strike following his arrest, according to a report published by the Arabi 21 website.

Atiq's defence team hold the judge in charge of his case fully responsible for his life because of his refusal to release their client.

His defence called for Atiq's release, warning that “the campaign of persecution of opponents of the authorities is about to take a dangerous turn that threatens the fall of innocent victims in Tunisia".

Zainab Maraihi, Atiq's wife, said that she had visited her husband in hospital, but he then cut off the visit because he was unable to stand due to his worsening health condition. She added that he can now no longer walk.

Ennahda released a statement saying that Atiq was continuing his "hunger strike for the 26th day in a row, in light of the authorities' complete disregard for his inhumane situation and their disregard for the lives of political prisoners".