Israel extradites MPs to Jordan for arms smuggling

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 on Sunday that after the investigation in Israel was completed, the member of parliament had been “handed over to Jordanian authorities for further investigation and prosecution”.

The man was arrested 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 various goods across the border a total of twelve times since February 2022. In addition to weapons, he also smuggled birds, electronic cigarettes and gold. He has transported weapons several times since the beginning of this year. Acting out of greed, the deputy sheriff got a lot of money for the goods. It was a “very serious incident,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told the news site ynet at the time.

After he was caught by Israeli security forces, several suspected helpers were also arrested in Jordan and the West Bank. The Israeli foreign minister spoke of a “very serious incident”. Israel is in contact with the Jordanian authorities.

According to Jordanian media reports, the 35-year-old deputy is said to have ties to the Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. It is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and Israel.

The neighboring countries of Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994. But there are regular diplomatic tensions, especially because of Israel’s Palestinian policy and the situation on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (sda/dpa)