Court sentences 12 for terrorist plots

? Twelve Islamic militants screamed praise for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as a Jordanian court jailed them for up to three years Sunday for plotting terrorist strikes against the American and Israeli embassies in Jordan.

The convicted defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1 1/2 years to three years after being found guilty of conspiring to attack the embassies.

The 12 defendants, who did not enter pleas, also were accused of planning other attacks, including against a hotel popular with Israeli tourists in the northern city of Irbid; the home of a cultural festival director; and an American troupe performing at the annual event.

Prosecutors did not say how the defendants planned the attacks. The plot was uncovered and foiled when the defendants were detained in 2004.

During their sentencing, the defendants started hailing the al-Qaida attacks on the United States four years ago.

During the trial that opened in March, the defendants repeatedly praised Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. But the charge sheet did not directly link the defendants to al-Zarqawi or any other known terrorist group.