Jordanian security forces have allegedly arrested a man who they say was affiliated with an Iranian-backed group and plotting to carry out an attack in the country, Arab news outlets reported Monday. Following his arrest large quantities of explosives were found in his possession in northern Jordan.
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He was due to appear before the state security court later Monday, accused of “possessing explosive material and planning terrorist acts”, the judicial source said. The source said that the amount of explosives was the largest that has been seized in years.
Despite similarities in the name, the Iranian-backed group is reportedly unrelated to Egyptian militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which recently changed its name after pledging allegiance to ISIS. The story was originally reported in the Jordanian newspaper Al-Rai.
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The last major terrorist attack on Jordanian soil was in 2005 when suicide bombers blasted the Grand Hyatt, the Radisson SAS, and the Days Inn Hotels located in Amman which left dozens of innocent civilians dead. Khaled Al Rubai, believed to be a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps elite Quds Force, was arrested two weeks ago, Haaretz reports. He is said to have entered Jordan from Syria, where Iran is a significant player in the conflict against rebels seeking to overthrow President Assad.
