GID uncovers plots to ‘destabilise' Kingdom, dismantles four cells — minister

Jordan Times

15-04-2025

AMMAN — Minister of Government Communications Mohammad Momani on Tuesday said that the General Intelligence Department (GID) has foiled several coordinated plots to destabilise the Kingdom, arresting 16 suspects involved in efforts to manufacture missiles and drones, smuggle weapons and recruit operatives for militant activities.
Speaking at a press briefing, Momani said the GID had uncovered and dismantled four major security cases after years of surveillance and investigation.
"These were serious and deliberate attempts to harm Jordan's national security," Momani said. "Thanks to the vigilance of our intelligence services, all the elements involved were arrested and their plans neutralised."
The minister detailed four separate cases involving several groups that have been operating since 2021. Among the most alarming findings were attempts to build short-range missiles with a range of 3 to 5 kilometres, construct drones and store large quantities of explosives, including TNT, C4 and SEMTEX-H.
In the first case, authorities arrested four suspects between May and June 2023. Three were involved in transporting and storing high-grade explosives and automatic weapons smuggled in from abroad, while a fourth suspect was found hiding a fully assembled Katyusha rocket with a detonator in Marj Al Hamam area near Amman.
The second case, uncovered in February 2025, involved a three-man cell involved in the production of rockets.
The group set up two covert warehouses, one in Zarqa and another in Amman; the latter fortified with concrete and secret rooms. Investigators say the cell received funding and training from foreign sources and managed to produce a working prototype of a short-range missile.
In a third case, four people allegedly developed drone technology with outside help. Members of the group travelled abroad to obtain technical expertise and built a prototype drone using raw materials, Momani said.
The fourth case involved five people divided into two groups, some of whom had been trained overseas. The suspects were allegedly recruiting and preparing new members for illegal paramilitary activities.
Momani , who is also the government spokesperson, said that all suspects have been referred to the State Security Court on charges under the Anti-Terrorism Law. The charges were approved by the Prosecutor General of the Court following the completion of official investigations.
Momani assured the public that there was no cause for alarm, stressing that all elements of the plots had been intercepted before they could be carried out.
Highlighting that evidence to be made public, he said that a television report prepared by the Jordanian authorities will be broadcast tonight, including footage of the rocket production sites and the tools used by the suspects.
Video confessions from those involved in the missile, drone and recruitment conspiracies will also be broadcast during the 8pm news bulletin on the Jordan TV, he added.
Momani described the revelations as "just a glimpse" of the security services' wider efforts to address complex threats.
"The actions of our intelligence personnel have once again ensured the security and stability of the kingdom," he said.
In response to a question during the press briefing, Momani revealed that the suspects involved in the foiled plots are affiliated with a political organisation that is both unlicensed and officially dissolved under Jordanian law.
"The Jordanian public will hear directly from the suspects in the video confessions that will be released," Momani said, referring to the footage that will be broadcast as part of the government's disclosure of the case.
Asked whether regional developments might have influenced the suspects' actions, he firmly rejected such interpretations.
"Jordan has not and will not accept any justification for what happened," he said. "These acts took place on Jordanian soil and represent a direct threat to our national security and sovereignty."
He added that the extensive planning involved - over four years - made it unlikely that the attacks were simply a response to a single regional event.
"It is clear that these actions were part of a broader, ideological scheme rooted in a dark and structured agenda that is not linked to any specific incident," he said.
Momani also pointed to the range of the rockets seized - between 3 and 5 kilometres - as further evidence that the attacks were aimed directly at Jordan.
"This was a deliberate attempt to undermine Jordanian sovereignty," he stressed. "And under no circumstances will Jordan tolerate any attempt to jeopardise its national security."