Jordan says 16 arrested over foiled rocket and drone attack plots

Jordan’s security services say they have arrested 16 people suspected of plotting attacks inside the country involving rockets and drones.

The General Intelligence Department said the suspects had been under surveillance since 2021 and their plans were aimed at “targeting national security, sowing chaos and sabotage”.

They involved possession of explosives and automatic weapons, the manufacture of rockets, the concealment of one rocket ready to be launched, a project to manufacture drones, and the training of individuals both in Jordan and abroad, it alleged.

State media cited the government’s spokesman as saying the suspects were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which denied any involvement.

Communications Minister Mohammed al-Momani told reporters that the 16 suspects were divided into four cells with separate assignments, according to Petra news agency:

• The first cell, which had three main members who were arrested in 2023, transported and stored explosives, including TNT, C4 and Semtex, as well as automatic weapons smuggled from abroad, he said. A fourth member of the cell allegedly worked to conceal a Katyusha rocket equipped with a detonator in the south-western Marj al-Hamam neighbourhood of the capital, Amman. Momani said the rockets had a range of between three and five kilometres, which indicated that the suspects planned to target locations in Jordan

• The second three-member cell, which was arrested in February, had begun manufacturing short-range rockets and storing them in warehouses in Amman and the city of Zarqa, just to the north-east, he said, adding that they had received training and funding from abroad

• External parties were also allegedly supporting the third, four-member cell involved in the drone manufacturing project

• Momani said the fourth cell, with five members, had worked to recruit operatives to undergo illegal security training courses.

All 16 suspects have been referred to the State Security Court on charges of violating the Anti-Terrorism law, according to Momani.

Later, state-run Jordan Television broadcast what it said were confessions of eight of the suspects, six of whom said they were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to Petra.

A statement from the Brotherhood rejected what it called the “unjust accusations” made by Momani and insisted it had no links to, or knowledge of, the plots.

The Islamist group – whose political arm, the Islamic Action Front, is the largest opposition group in parliament – also stressed that it “adhered to the national line” and “remained committed to its peaceful approach”.

Jordanian officials have previously accused the Brotherhood of instigating pro-Hamas protests following the start of the Gaza war with the aim of destabilising the kingdom, which borders Israel and several Arab states.

Several suspects were also cited as saying that they had travelled to Lebanon to meet and undergo training with the person overseeing the plots.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, told his Jordanian counterpart Jafar Hassan that it was ready to co-operate in tackling potential threats to their countries, Petra reported.