Jordanians Arrested for Supporting Egypt Islamists

Three Jordanian men have been arrested for carrying posters supporting Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, a judicial official said on Tuesday.

"The three men were arrested last week. They were carrying posters with the slogan of Rabaa," he told Agence France Presse.

The yellow posters show a black hand with four fingers raised, symbolizing Cairo's pro-Morsi Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp, which was broken up on August 14, sparking clashes that killed hundreds of protesters.

"The state security court charged the suspects on Monday with acts the government does not approve that would harm Jordan's relations with a brotherly Arab country," the official said.

"One of the suspects was accused of insulting heads of states. The authorities found text messages on his mobile phone's Internet messenger application WhatsApp that insult the Jordanian regime and other regimes."

The three face up to three years in jail if convicted, the official said, adding that the court refused to release them on bail.

Jordan was among the first countries to welcome the July 3 military coup ousting Morsi, which was strongly condemned by the kingdom's Muslim Brotherhood.

King Abdullah II, who himself faces challenges at home from Islamists, was the first head of state to visit Egypt, 17 days after the coup.