Jordan Thwarts an 'Iran-Linked' Arms Smuggling Plot

Jordan has thwarted an arms smuggling plot believed to be led by Iran, aimed at 'assisting opponents of the Jordanian monarchy in carrying out sabotage actions,' according to 'two Jordanian sources familiar with the matter' who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday, May 16. These sources stated that the weapons were sent by Iran-backed militants in Syria to a Muslim Brotherhood cell in Jordan that is connected to the military wing of the extremist group Hamas. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The shipment was discovered and seized when members of this cell were arrested in late March. According to the two sources, the arrested individuals are Jordanian citizens of Palestinian descent. The two Jordanian sources, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the issue, refrained from specifying what sabotage actions were planned and referred to ongoing investigations and covert operations. They stated that the aim of this plot was to destabilize Jordan. Jordan hosts a U.S. military base and shares borders with Israel, as well as Syria and Iraq, both of which are home to Iran-backed militants. The sources did not specifically mention what weapons were seized in the March raid, but indicated that in recent months, security services have thwarted multiple attempts by Iran and its allied groups to smuggle weapons, including claymore mines, C4 explosives, Semtex, Kalashnikov rifles, and 107mm Katyusha rockets. According to Jordanian sources, most of the clandestine flow of weapons into the country has been directed towards the West Bank, neighboring Jordan. However, they noted that some of the weapons, including those seized in March, were intended for use in Jordan by the Muslim Brotherhood cell allied with Hamas militants. One of the sources, a security expert, told Reuters about the traffickers' methods: 'They hide these weapons in pits called dead drops, take their GPS coordinates, photograph the location, and then instruct individuals to retrieve them from there.' The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist movement from which Hamas branched off in the 1980s. The movement claims it does not support violence, and the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood has legally operated in the kingdom for decades. According to the two sources, Jordanian officials believe that Iran and its allied groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, are trying to recruit young and radical members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan to their anti-Israeli and anti-American agenda to expand Tehran-aligned regional networks. A senior representative of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood confirmed that some members of the group were arrested in March along with weapons but stated that whatever actions they took were not sanctioned by the group, and he suspects they were smuggling weapons to the West Bank rather than planning actions in Jordan. This representative, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters: 'There is dialogue between the Muslim Brotherhood and officials. They know that if there is a mistake, it is not the mistake of the Muslim Brotherhood; it is just individuals, and it is not the policy of the Muslim Brotherhood.' Another senior figure of the Muslim Brotherhood, who also wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that the arrested cell members were hired by Saleh al-Arouri, the head of Hamas who directed the group's operations in the West Bank from exile in Lebanon. Al-Arouri was killed in January in Beirut in an attack widely attributed to Israel. Jordanian government and U.S. Department of Defense spokespeople declined to comment on Reuters' reports, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry has yet to respond to inquiries from the news agency on this matter. Israeli officials linked to the Prime Minister's Office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry have also not reacted to these reports. Over the past year, Jordan has announced that it has thwarted many infiltration attempts by Iran-aligned militants in Syria. According to Jordanian officials, these efforts relate to the smuggling of rocket launchers and explosives across Jordan's borders, and 'some weapons have managed to pass through undetected.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has denied involvement in such efforts. Most of Jordan's 11 million population consists of Palestinian refugees, and in the critical region near Israel, King Abdullah of Jordan constantly faces a difficult situation to maintain the stability of his country.