Jordan sentences ten to jail for deadly IS attack

Ten Jordanians have been sentenced to jail for their role in a deadly Islamic State group attack at a tourist site in southern Jordan two years ago, which left 12 people dead, local news agencies have reported.

The jail sentences given the State Security Court, which deals with terror-related cases, during the public session ranged from three years to life in prison for the massacre in the historic city of Karak, according to Petra news agency.

Two of the accused were sentenced to life in prison with hard labour, three to 15 years hard labour, and five defendents to three years in prison. 

One person was acquitted while one of the accused remains on the run.

They were found guilty of carrying out subversive acts, manufacturing explosives, possessing firearms, funding terrorist acts and promoting the ideology of terror group, among other charges.

The attack on Karak's Crusader castle left seven policemen and two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian tourist dead, in the attack claimed by IS.

Another 34 people were injured in the attack on the tourist hotspot and the subsequent shoot-outs.

The security failure led to a local police chief being replaced.

The country has witnessed several attacks, by IS and al-Qaeda, although it has managed to avoid the levels of violence in neighbouring countries.

Jordan's well-funded military has also played part of in a US-led coalition against IS in Syria and Iraq, and remains a key ally of several Western powers.

A Jordanian pilot who was shot down during one operation in Syria was captured by IS in 2014 and later burned alive.

The murder led Jordan to execute a female detainee linked to a previous al-Qaeda attack, and three days of bombing against IS targets in Syria.

Muaz al-Kassasbeh death led to anger in the kingdom, particularly in the south, around his home city of Karak.

Agencies contributed to this story.