Sixteen people arrested as authorities say they stopped the plot, including explosives and a drone factory.
Jordan says it has arrested 16 people, threatening national security and obstructing plots of illegally importing rockets and importing explosives and drone production sites.
In a statement Tuesday, the General Intelligence Department said plans have been made to recruit and train “operatives” in Jordan and neighboring Lebanon.
A drone factory was also found, according to a statement released in state media.
The suspect added that he was referred to a state safety court for trial.
Authorities later said at least one rocket is ready to be launched as part of an operation that has been under surveillance by security forces since 2021.
Security sources cited by Reuters News Agency said the suspect was connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest opposition group, but the head of the cell, who trained some of its members, is based in Lebanon.
The Brotherhood has been accused of inciting street protests in Jordan, a large Palestinian population. In recent months, thousands have regularly protested Israel’s fatal attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip, killing more than 51,000 since October 2023, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
“We’re talking about new tactics, rockets and drones. This means a complete change in the way the Muslim Brotherhood deals with and targets Jordan,” renowned security analyst Amer Al Sabaileh told Reuters.
Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani spokesman told a press conference explaining that the government will air full confessions from suspects trained in Lebanon.
The Rockets, found in a secret hideaway in Amman, outside the capital, were manufactured in the range of 3-5km for use against targets within the kingdom, Matani added.
Over the past year, Jordan said it has lost attempts to smuggle weapons by intruders associated with pro-Iranian groups of Palestinian groups based in Syria and Lebanon.
They alleged that some weapons were tied to the adjacent West Bank of Israeli occupation, adding that they arrested several Jordanians associated with the Palestinian group.
Security officials said the incident was related to terrorism based on the amount of explosives found. They said the plot is linked to secret efforts of Iran and its allies, recruiting agents to sabotage within the kingdom, destabilizing one of the regional Washington allies.
Jordan has more than 3,500 American troops stationed at several bases, targeting Iranian-based groups operating in neighbouring Syria and Iraq since the Israeli attacks began in Gaza.
Last year, Jordan fired down a retaliatory missile from the territory that was fired from Iran towards Israel. This angered many of the Jordanian citizens, including those descendants of Palestinians who were driven out of the land during the Nakba of 1948 and the war in 1967.
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