AMMAN — Authorities on Saturday said they have aborted an alleged attempt by an MP and two individuals to smuggle documents and papers from an undisclosed premises in Aqaba that reportedly belonged to the dissolved Muslim Brotherhood society in Jordan.

 

“The Aqaba prosecutor decided on Friday to search a premises, which was monitored by security agencies and was used by the banned Muslim Brotherhood society after detecting some suspicious activities,” the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

An MP and two individuals were allegedly spotted leaving the premises carrying large black trash bags, Petra reported.

 

Upon intercepting the three men and searching the trash bags, the news agency added, “authorities found shredded papers and documents believed to belong to the banned group,” according to Petra.

 

When authorities searched the premises, they found additional documents, illegal flags, as well as clothes, badges and headbands bearing the group's logos belonging to the banned group, Petra stated.

 

Upon questioning the two individuals, they allegedly told investigators that they “belonged to the banned Muslim Brotherhood society and that they rented the premises so that the MP could operate it for the banned group,” Petra reported.

As a result, the MP was summoned by investigators for questioning, the news agency added.

 

The MP reportedly stated that the premises were for one of the political parties that he belonged to and that he was authorised to rent it on their behalf, according to Petra.

 

The Aqaba prosecutor decided to transfer the case to the Amman prosecution office for further questioning and indictment.

According to the Independent Election Commission’s records, the rented premises were not one of the disclosed locations by the political party.

 

In April, the government reverted to the Court of Cassation’s decision in February 2020, to consider the Muslim Brotherhood society that was established on June 16, 1953, legally dissolved.

 

“Individuals who own assets that are affiliated with the dissolved Muslim Brotherhood society should contact the designated committee that was established by the Ministry of Social Development within one month,” the secretary general of the Ministry of Social Development, head of the committee, said.

 

Otherwise, “these individuals will be held accountable under the law,” he said.

During the same month, Interior Minister Mazen Faraya announced the immediate enforcement of the law provisions on the so-called dissolved Muslim Brotherhood by considering it an illegal association.

 

“We decided to close all headquarters or premises that are used by the Muslim Brotherhood or sites that are shared with other entities, under penalty of legal accountability,” Faraya said at the time.

 

He also announced during a press conference the banning of all activities related to the so-called Muslim Brotherhood and considered it an illegal association.

 

Faraya called on the committee that is entrusted with seizing all assets related to the Muslim Brotherhood to expedite the process in accordance with the law.

 

The minister also stressed that membership in the so-called dissolved Muslim Brotherhood is prohibited, as well as the spreading of its ideologies.

 

He added that legal action will be taken against any individual or entity if the current investigations into the terror-related cases that were announced last week prove that there are connections with the suspects or the alleged plots.

 

On April 15, the General Intelligence Department (GID) announced that 16 men, including some who were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, allegedly planned to cause chaos and sabotage acts in Jordan.

 

The group was charged with terrorism and manufacturing explosive substances against the suspects involved in alleged plots targeting Jordan’s national security.

The GID had said that the 16 men were arrested following close intelligence monitoring since 2021.

 

Their alleged plans included manufacturing short-range rockets using local tools as well as tools imported for illegal purposes, possession of explosives and firearms, concealing a rocket ready to be deployed, planning to manufacture drones and recruiting and training operatives in Jordan as well as training them abroad, the GID said.

 

The interior minister said during the press briefing that on the day the authorities announced the arrest of the 16 individuals, Muslim Brotherhood members destroyed a large number of documents in an attempt to hide their suspicious activities and connections.

 

Some of the suspects appeared on national television, where they reportedly confessed to their affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood and their alleged roles in manufacturing missiles, drones and recruiting others to join them.