Jordan sentences five to death for 'terror'

A court in Amman on Wednesday sentenced to death five Jordanian members of a cell linked to the Islamic State jihadist group for "terrorism".
The state security court also handed down jail terms of between three and 15 years to another 16 Jordanians in the same case.
They were found guilty of deadly "acts of terrorism", the manufacture of explosives and "possession of weapons and ammunition for use in terrorist acts" and recruiting people for "terrorist organisations".
The group of 21 were members of an IS cell that was broken up in March during a large-scale security operation in the northern town of Irbid, near the border with Syria.
Seven suspected jihadists and a member of the Jordanian security forces were killed during that operation.
The authorities announced later that they had foiled IS attacks in the kingdom, which had already been hit by deadly attacks over the past year.
On December 18, 10 people including a Canadian were killed in a shooting rampage the popular tourist destination of Karak, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.
Two days later, in a raid on a house in Karak province, the authorities arrested a man suspected of funding the attack.
Also Wednesday, an Algerian belonging to "terrorist groups" was killed in Maan governorate in the south of the kingdom, a security statement said.
He refused to surrender and opened fire before being killed by security forces, it said, adding that another man was arrested at the scene.
Jordan is part of the US-led military coalition against IS and has carried out air strikes targeting the extremist group. It also hosts coalition troops on its territory.
In total, the kingdom has been hit by four attacks this year, including a suicide attack in June that killed seven guards near the border with Syria that was also claimed by IS.