Jordan Foils Major Plots Involving Rockets, Drones, and Militant Recruitment
Jordan’s intelligence agency arrests 16 suspects linked to plans for sabotage, rocket and drone manufacturing, and foreign-trained recruitment operations since 2021.
Watan-The Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) announced on Tuesday that it had thwarted plots aimed at “undermining national security and stirring chaos and physical sabotage within the Kingdom.”
In a statement published by the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the GID revealed that it had arrested 16 individuals involved in these plots, which the agency had been closely monitoring with precise intelligence work since 2021.
According to the statement, the plots included the manufacture of rockets using both local and imported components for illicit purposes, possession of explosives and firearms, the concealment of a rocket ready for use, a project to manufacture drones, as well as recruiting and training individuals within the Kingdom and sending them abroad for further training.
The GID stated that all cases had been referred to the State Security Court to proceed with legal measures.
Reuters quoted a security source saying that “the suspects are linked to the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).”
Four Main Cases Involved
Government spokesperson and Minister of Government Communication, Mohammad Al-Momani, explained in a press briefing that the intelligence agency had arrested all those involved in these activities, which it had been monitoring “with vigilance and capability” since 2021.
He added that these activities “involved four main cases, with 16 individuals divided into groups, each performing separate tasks.”
He continued: “These cases included the manufacture of short-range rockets with ranges of 3 to 5 km, possession of explosives and automatic weapons, concealment of a rocket ready for use, a drone manufacturing project, and the recruitment and training of individuals inside the Kingdom with follow-up training abroad.”
He reported that “the first cell, composed of three main individuals, was apprehended between May and June 2023. It was working on transporting and storing highly explosive materials such as TNT, C4, and SEMTEX-H, as well as automatic weapons, all smuggled from outside the country. A fourth individual, operating separately, was arrested for concealing a Katyusha rocket with a detonator in the Marj Al-Hamam area of the capital.”
Regarding the second case, Momani stated that “the cell members were arrested in February 2025, comprising three main individuals who had begun manufacturing rockets using both local and imported materials.”
He clarified that “the members of this cell had established two warehouses for manufacturing and storage in Zarqa governorate (central Jordan) and in Amman, with one of them fortified with concrete for storing rockets and containing sealed secret rooms.”
He added that the cell, which produced and assembled rocket bodies, received training and funding from abroad and succeeded in producing a prototype short-range rocket.
In the third case, Momani said that “four individuals were involved in a drone manufacturing project, with assistance from foreign parties via visits to various countries to gain the necessary expertise. They managed to build a drone prototype from raw materials.”
The fourth case involved five individuals divided into two groups, some of whom trained abroad. “They worked on recruiting and nominating individuals for illegal security training courses,” the minister said.
Momani announced that the suspects had been referred to the State Security Court on charges under the Anti-Terrorism Law, following the completion of investigations and the ratification of the indictment decision by the court’s Attorney General.
He stressed that the details disclosed were “just a small part of the complex operations that the security services managed to foil.”
He announced that recorded video confessions by the suspects in the rocket manufacturing and recruitment/drone cases would be broadcast Tuesday evening.
In response to a question, Momani stated that “the suspects have political affiliations, and belong to a group (unnamed) that is unlicensed and dissolved under the law. We will let the Jordanian public hear from the suspects themselves in the video to be released.”
Answering another question, he said: “Jordan has not and will not accept any justification for what happened. It took place on Jordanian soil and poses a direct threat to the national security and sovereignty of the Jordanian state.”
Fayez: Jordan is being targeted from within and abroad
Shortly before this announcement, Senate President Faisal Al-Fayez affirmed that “Jordan is being targeted from outside and by infiltrators from within,” noting that “electronic bots attacking the nation across many social media platforms and fake accounts aim to spread chaos in Jordan and disrupt our social fabric and national unity.”
During a meeting Tuesday with various local community representatives in Jerash Governorate, he said that “given the international and regional geopolitical shifts, new political realities in the region, and the continuation of the Israeli occupation state’s expansionist and aggressive policies, we must all rally around King Abdullah and support his efforts in defending our national principles and Jordan’s supreme interests.”
Fayez emphasized “the importance of strengthening the internal front and confronting hate speech, sectarian and regional rhetoric on social media,” which he described as platforms of “social conflict.” He added that this requires unity and firm action against anyone who tampers with the country’s security and stability.
He also called for enhancing the role of national media to defend Jordan’s principles and confront media messages targeting Jordan’s security and unity. He stressed the importance of unifying Jordan’s media message and called on political parties to play a greater role in countering sedition and hate speech.
