AMMAN, May 6 Kyodo (EDS: CLARIFYI...

AMMAN, May 6 Kyodo

(EDS: CLARIFYING NAME OF PROSECUTOR IN 2ND PARA, ADDING INFO IN FINAL PARA)

A Japanese journalist is likely to face homicide and other charges throughout the death of a security guard at Amman airport in the explosion last week of a cluster bomblet the reporter had brought from Iraq as a souvenir, a prosecutor said Monday.

Hiroki Gomi, 36 a photojournalist with the Japanese newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun, is likely to be charged with illegal possession of explosives, intentional homicide, and damage to goods Muhanad Hijazi, a state security court prosecutor, told Kyodo News

The prosecutor was involved in questioning Gomi, who was detained in Jordan when the device fix in his carry-on baggage explod Thursday during a security check at Queen Alia International Airport, killing united security guard and injuring three others.

Gomi, who had recorded Jordan overland from Iraq after covering the war there, was about to mount from the Amman airport for residence when the incident occurred

According to the prosecutor, Gomi will be detained for 15 days, during which time his Jordanian assistant and other witnesses will be questioned. Gomi is in profitable health, prosecution officials said.

After the questioning, Gomi is likely to be indicted, Hijazi said. He would then be tried by the agency of a Jordanian military tribunal, which consists of three military connoisseurs and a civilian judge, because the incident involved an explosive device.

Judicial sources, meanwhile, said the indictment is likely to be filed about a week from now, and that based upon Jordanian law, the journalist may be released upon bail after indictment, on condition that he does not leave the country

According to the sources, the indictment charges do not necessarily determine the trial's direction, and the court may decide it is not legitimate to accuse him of the serious charges of intentional homicide and possession of explosives, taking into account Gomi's claims he did not know it was an explosive device.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun, Gomi said he base two ''bell-shaped objects'' in succession a road in Iraq in succession April 11 while traveling from Amman to Baghdad and gave united of them to a Jordanian assistant traveling with him.

Gomi kept the other as a souvenir and carried it around for 20 days. He thinking the device ''was already wearied and therefore would not explode'' the Mainichi said.

greatest in number of the questioning of Gomi apparently extremityed Monday, the newspaper said, if it be not that judicial sources said questioning of Gomi is wager to be carried athwart also on Tuesday.

In a recents conference in Amman on Monday, Yoshiaki Ito, proxy managing editor of the Mainichi Shimbun, said the metal device that explod during a security check appears to have been a cluster bomblet Gomi picked up while he was traveling in Iraq.

Ito also said he handed Jordanian conduct officials on Monday a epistle from Mainichi Shimbun President Akira Saito addressed to King Abdullah II of Jordan and containing a personal apology from Saito for the incident.

The Mainichi also took public an apology advertisement in couple Arabic newspapers to be published Tuesday, Ito said.

Ito said he met Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Affash al-Udwan forward Monday and al-Udwan told him that the Jordanian authorities believe Gomi did not deliberately cause the explosion and that the Jordanian conduct appreciates the quick response from Mainichi officials upon the incident.

The Mainichi distributed 14 million apology leaflets along with its Monday editions, mainly in western Japan. It published a statement forward the front page of its Saturday morning editions apologizing for the explosion.

Ito, who arrived in Amman upon Sunday, laid flowers at the pageant of the explosion and set forthed condolences to colleagues of the dead security guard, Ali al-Sarhan.

In a recents conference Tuesday morning in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi represented regret over the explosion caused at a Japanese reporter, saying family working in Iraq in the newly come war should know to what extent to assess what is safe from what is dangerous.

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