A Jordanian lawmaker arrested by Israel on arms smuggling charges has been handed over to authorities in his home country. Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, said today that after the investigation in Israel was completed, the MP was “handed over to the Jordanian authorities for further investigation and prosecution.”
The man was picked up in his car on April 22 as he entered the West Bank with 12 rifles and 194 revolvers. During the interrogation, it became clear that he had misused his diplomatic passport to bring different goods across the border a total of twelve times since February 2022.
In addition to weapons, he also smuggled birds, electronic cigarettes and gold. Since the beginning of this year he has transported weapons several times. The deputy acted out of greed and received a lot of money for the goods.
“Very Serious Incident”
After he was caught by the Israeli security forces, several suspected helpers were also arrested in Jordan and the West Bank. The Israeli Foreign Minister had spoken of a “very serious incident”. Israel is in contact with the Jordanian authorities.
According to Jordanian media reports, the 35-year-old MP is said to have connections to the Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip. It is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, the EU and Israel.
The neighboring countries of Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994. But there are regular diplomatic tensions, mainly because of Israel’s Palestinian policy and the situation on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
